In The End
by Iris RainbowWolf
Summary: Kylie Grimes, a playful and carefree woman, didn't think she would find friendship in the apocalypse. Yet she found much more than that. As she fights to keep her young cousins' child-like wonder intact, Kylie must also try and keep the man who stole her heart. Not to mention fighting off flesh-eating monsters. Starts S1, slow burn. M for language and later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Kylie Grimes came from a large family. Her grandparents, being high school sweethearts, married weeks after graduation. and had their first child a year later. By the time the eldest Grimes' couple could no longer reproduce, they had seven children. Much like his parents before him, Kylie's father had his first and only child at the young age of seventeen.

In her early teens, Kylie found herself in with an unsavory crowd. And at sixteen, Kylie was kicked out of her parents house and was shipped off to live with her uncle. It was difficult at first, Rick, Kylie's uncle, had just started working for the King County Sheriff's department in order to support his wife and newborn son.

Even though it was hard, the family pulled through. Kylie finished high school, and she had maintained numerous dead end jobs all in the hopes of finding one that would stick. For years after her eighteenth birthday, Kylie stayed in King County to help her aunt and uncle.

Now a little over twelve years later, Kylie Grimes found herself sitting behind the counter of Gibbon's Convenience, a comic book on her lap and her pink converse covered feet tapping along to the soundtrack of The Little Mermaid. Her uncle always said that she would forever have the heart of a child.

At the thought of her uncle, Kylie's heart clenched painfully. The man who was roughly six years older than herself , the man who had tried his hardest to look out for her had been shot weeks prior. Almost two months or so in a coma. And in those weeks without her uncle, Kylie had heard terrifying things. Men and women all over the globe rising up from the dead to make a snack out of the living. She didn't want to believe it.

With a sigh, Kylie flipped her comic closed and grabbed the cherry flavored slushie off the counter. Business was slow, not many people coming into the convenience store. It wasn't unusual, however, and Kylie didn't mind.

Things were quiet for a while, the tune of 'Under The Sea' playing softly throughout the store. Kylie nearly jumped when she heard a crash coming from the back door of the store, followed by the sound of feet slowly shuffling across the linoleum floor. With her breath frozen in her lungs, Kylie grabbed the black and hot pink Sig Sauer P226, which she kept close to her at all times. But she stayed still, the gun trained on the back door, and she waited.

What Kylie wasn't expecting was to see the decaying body of her boss, Carter Gibbons, moving towards her. Without even thinking, Kylie squeezed the trigger twice, effectively implanting two bullets into her boss's head. And as soon as his body hit the floor, she let out a sigh of relief.

The store was eerily quiet, the sound of the shots ringing off the walls. With her nerves already on edge, Kylie plopped back down into her seat and sipped drink. Suddenly the bell above the front door chime, causing Kylie to jump and raise her gun once more before turning to face whomever had entered. Only to let out a sigh when she saw the face of her uncle's best friend, Shane Walsh.

"Scared me half to death, Shane" she said, placing her gun on the counter and running a hand through her highlighted locks.

"I heard shots, are you okay?" Shane asked her as he approached the counter.

"Yea" Kylie nodded. "Just had to put down Carter" she added quietly, nodding her head towards the corpse of her boss.

"We need to get out of here, Lee." Shane told her. "Grab whatever you can from here. Food, drinks, whatever, we need to go" he said a moment later when she didn't move.

"Shane what's going on?" she asked, standing from her chair with her white and black Mickey Mouse tote bag in hand.

"That virus that was on the news? Yea, well it's getting worse. Military's setting up safe zones, we need to get to Atlanta" the man said. At his words, Kylie's blue eyes widened before she rushed out from behind the counter and started throwing random snacks and canned foods into her bag while Shane grabbed a few plastic bags and filled them with soda's, waters and powdered juice mixes. "You got everything?" Shane asked, Kylie just nodded.

"Just gimme a minute?" she asked, "I'll meet you out in the car" the woman added. Shane just nodded his head and left the store. Once Kylie heard the door to Shane's Tucson slam closed, she darted back behind the counter and grabbed two cartons of cigarettes. Kylie didn't smoke all that much anymore, but she found the need for a cigarette would arise on occasion. And after clipping her holster and gun around her waist, Kylie darted out the door and into the car. "What about Lori and Carl?" she asked.

"Going there next" was all Shane said as he sped down the street.

Almost an hour later, Kylie was sitting in the back seat of the Tucson with her little cousin Carl and a heavy heart. Her uncle was dead. Or at least that's what Shane had told them when Lori asked.

"Do you think everything's going to be alright, Kylie?" Carl asked.

"I don't know kiddo. We'll know for sure when we get to Atlanta" she told the boy as she pushed back his short brown hair and placed a kiss on top of his head.

The road to Atlanta was long, and by the time the group of four had reached the outer limits of the city, it was dark and they were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.

They waited in the car for almost a half an hour, until they saw people walking past their windows and sitting outside of their own cars.

"What do you think's going on?' Kylie asked as she leaned between the two front seats.

"Dunno, Why don't we get out and stretch our legs for a bit?" Shane suggested. Kylie and Lori nodded their heads before opening their respective doors and almost stumbling out of the car. With a stretch, Kylie reached back into the car and pulled a cigarette from her open pack before turning to her aunt.

"Lori, I'm gunna have a smoke, be right back" she told the other brunette. Lori just nodded and put a hand on Carl's shoulder. Kylie didn't like smoking around her cousin, so whenever she had a cigarette, she would go a distance away from him.

"Just don't go far" Lori warned "We might be back on the road before you know it" she added. Kylie just nodded her head before walking away.

For the next few hours, they all stayed on the highway. Carl had started playing a game of checkers with a blonde girl around his age, while Kylie watched them,waiting for her turn. Every now and again, someone would walk by or go into the woods. But for the most part it was quiet.

"Are we gunna go soon?" the little girl, Sophia, asked her mother.

"I don't know baby, I hope so" the woman answered.

"I'm hungry" Carl said a moment later, looking towards Lori, who was playing with the small chain around her neck.

"I know, Carl, we all are" she responded. They had exhausted the food Kylie had grabbed from her work hours ago and were running on fumes.

"Why don't I get him something to eat?" Sophia's mother asked, Kylie hadn't bothered to learn the woman's name. She was nice enough, but Kylie wasn't in the mood to be making friends at the moment "Ed's into all this survival stuff. We've got enough M.R.E's to fee a small army."

"I sure appreciate it" Lori said, sliding down from the hood of the car, while Kylie walked over to her.

"No trouble" the woman responded. With a glance in the other couple's direction, Kylie knew that something was wrong. And she had a strong feeling that the man, Ed, was not someone to be trusted.

"Let's go see what Shane's got" Kylie suggested, looping her arm through Lori's with a smile before turning to her cousin. "Stay here Carl" and the boy just nodded at his mother and cousin,

"You getting anything?" Lori asked Shane a minute later as she leaned against the open car door, her head sticking through the window. While Kylie leaned against the back door.

"There's nothing" Shane shook his head.

"Big surprise there" Kylie scoffed.

"No, Lee, I mean there's nothing. The Emergency Broadcast System stopped, and that recording about the refugee center." Shane paused for a moment before stepping out of the car. "It's all gone. I'm gunna go up the road, see what I can see" he said.

"We'll come with you" Kylie said as her and Lori trailed behind him.

"Ed must have forgot to pack those M.R.E's" Sophia's mother stopped them. "But I found these in my purse" she added, pulling out a small pack of peanut butter crackers.

"It's all right" Lori reassured her. "Listen, would you mind keeping an eye on Carl for a minute?" she asked. "Shane, Kylie and I are gunna scout up ahead a little bit and see if we can find someone that knows what's going on."

"I want to go with you" Carl responded, causing Lori to shake her head.

"We'll be back before you know it, dude. And then I'm kicking you little butt in checkers" Kylie joked, ruffling her cousins hair. And with that the three adults walked away.

"Why would they stop broadcasting about the refugee center?" Lori asked a minute later.

"I don't know" was Shane's answer.

"Think they're turning people away?" Kylie questioned. She knew that Shane wouldn't have the right answers, but asking seemed to make her feel better.

"They're gunna have a riot on their hands if they try" Shane told her, Kylie just nodded in agreement.

Minutes later, the trio had found themselves a good distance up the road, only to find no answers whatsoever. Causing them to turn back around. Kylie rolled her eyes when she saw a group of men fighting.

"What are we gunna do?" Lori asked.

"We're gunna do what Rick would have wanted us to do, get the three of you out of here" Shane told her. Suddenly they stopped walking, looking up in the sky to see five Black Hawk helicopters flying above them. Heading towards Atlanta.

"You two come with me now. Come on" Shane said, leading them past a few cars and into the woods, joined by a few others. They could hear explosions in the distance and Kylie had a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Oh my god" Lori and Kylie said at the same time, as they looked over the city. Their voices quiet laced with shock and fear.

Five helicopters flew into the city, each one causing a line of explosions.

"They're dropping napalm in the streets" Shane said to the two of them. Kylie looked at the site. Her blue eyes wide with shock. She couldn't believe this was actually happening.

Kylie barely registered Lori crying in Shane's arms. She just stood still, watching the explosions. Watching the city fall.

* * *

 **AN: NEW STORY! Honestly, I was trying to put off posting this until I got more chapters written out (currently have two and a half done) but honestly i couldn't resist! So for those of you who had read some of my other stories then welcome back and for those who are new to my writing then welcome! lol. I hope I do a good job and don't disappoint you all :).**

 **Anyways, I wanted to have a character that was strong on her own, and I figured that a girl who had spent so much time with Rick and Shane would know how to use a gun. But I also wanted to have a small amount of immaturity, just to keep things interesting ;p.**

 **Also, be sure to check out my polyvore collection for this story, link on on my profile!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Kylie had learned many things from Shane and the others. All things that had been on the Emergency Broadcasts, which Kylie had initially ignored. But now that Atlanta had fallen. Now that she knew that there was no safe haven, Kylie listened to every word Shane had to say about these walking corpses. She wasn't surprised to learn that everything the broadcasts were saying could be found in any zombie movie.

After they went back to the highway, Kylie, Shane and Lori gathered around the car looking over a map. And after much scrutiny, found an abandoned quarry where they could make camp for at least a night. And others had followed their lead. Two men in a church van, four people in an RV, a small family in a mini-van and two men in a run down truck. Even the little girl, Sophia, and her parents.

Kylie didn't know what to think about all of these people. All she knew was that at least their camp would be protected.

"Kylie could you tell us a story?" Carl asked from where he sat with Sophia and the other children.

"In a bit, bud, I need to go meet some of our camp-members" she smiled to her cousin.

She had already met a majority of the camp, except for two men. After the tents were set up, everyone had introduced themselves to each other. And Kylie knew right away that she was going to get along famously with a blonde girl a few years younger than her named Amy and a Korean guy named Glenn. The others she didn't have much of an opinion on.

Humming to herself, Kylie skipped over to two gruff looking men. She could tell that they were brothers. As she approached, Kylie could feel the eyes of both of them on her.

"Well hello there blue eyes" the other man smirked. Upon closer inspection, Kylie could see that his pupils were dilated and had a glossy hue to them. It was a look she had seen all too often. The man was high. "I'm Merle. And I would love to talk dirty to ya" he said.

"Kay, first off, the shirt says 'Disney'" Kylie scoffed. "Second off, my names Kylie"she introduced. Directing her words more towards the younger brother than the oldest.

"Daryl" he nodded at her.

"Nice to meet you Daryl." Kylie smiled brightly. "Hey…" she added a moment later, breaking the small silence that had fallen between them "we're doing a kind of meet and greet thing by the fire….you're welcome to join, i-if you want."

"Fine" Daryl nodded, causing his brother to roll his eyes.

"We'll be there beautiful" Merle winked. Kylie just wrinkled her nose at the older man before walking away.

Before joining the others by the low fire, Kylie decided to head to the tent she was sharing with her aunt and cousin to change. Minutes later she was dressed in a pair of comfortable black pajama pants and a loose fitting black t-shirt. And after throwing her highlighted hair up into a sloppy bun and putting her converses back on, Kylie left the tent and walked over to the fire. Only to find one available spot, right next to Daryl.

"Good of you to finally join us, Kylie" Shane addressed her once she finally plopped down in the camp chair.

"yea well…." Kylie trailed off with a shrug.

"Can you tell us a story now, Kylie?" Carl interrupted.

"I don't know, bud, you've exhausted my age appropriate story supply over the last twelve years" she joked, causing some of the others to laugh as well.

"I know everyone's tired and scared" Shane cleared his throat. "But we need to talk about defending our camp. How many of you can use a gun?" he asked, a handful of people rose their hands including Kylie and Daryl. "Great. Next thing, the food and water we had isn't going to last forever. We'll need to make trips into the city. Scavenge for food and other supplies. I'm thinking we'll do a run in a day or two. Any volunteers?" he asked. Kylie, Glenn and a few others rose their hands. "Kylie you ain't goin'" he added, causing her to scoff silently.

"Shane, can't this wait until everyone's rested?" Lori asked, running her hand through her son's hair. Shane just sighed and nodded. "Kylie why don't you tell the kids about the time you saw that mermaid?" she woman suggested, causing the four children and Amy to look in her direction.

"I love that story!" Carl smiled. He had heard most of her stories throughout his entire life.

"Alright" Kylie sighed playfully "So I was camping up north with my buddy Jason and he made me mad, so I went off by myself to this beach that was nearby. I don't know how long I was sitting there, but Jason knew not to look for me. Or else he'd get a broken nose." at that some of the adults chuckled. "Yea, I wasn't to happy. So anyways, I decided that it would be fun to go for a swim. So I did. And it was a baaad idea. The waves were monstrous and the more I swam, the further the current dragged me out. It go to the point where I couldn't keep myself up anymore, and I blacked out. The next thing I knew, there was a beautiful woman with long brown hair, covered in pearls. And she brought me to the shore. But she swam off before I could thank her for saving me. All I saw before I passed out in the sand was a dark green tail beating against the water."

The people around the fire looked at her in awe, the children with large, bright smiles on their faces. Even the adults looked at her with wonder.

"There's no way that happened" one of the men, Jim, spoke up after a moment.

"Oh it so did" she responded. "Whether you believe it or not."

"Saw a chupacabra once" Daryl spoke after a minute, slightly coming to Kylie's defense "Was on a huntin' trip and saw it running through the trees looking for a snack" he added.

"So you hunt?" Kylie changed the subject, looking at Daryl, who just nodded. "Sweet, can you teach me?" she asked.

"No" Shane answered for him. Kylie just rolled her eyes and looked at the man sitting next to her.

"I won't stop bugging you until you say yes" she told him, causing Lori to chuckle lightly.

"It's true, she won't. That's how she got her gun" Lori said.

"Fine" Daryl sighed, causing Kylie to smile brightly.

For another few hours, the group laughed and shared stories from their old life. For one night, life seemed alright.

* * *

 **AN: YAY DARYL! lol. Personally I absolutely _loved_ the interaction between Merle and Kylie. Anyways, thanks to everyone who has given this story a chance so far, it's my first Walking Dead story, so it means a lot. I've been working on this story non-stop, so I'll have lots and lots of chapters for you guys soon enough! So many more awesome things to come, I promise!**

 **Check in next week to see Kylie gain some tracking skills and a nice gesture from Daryl, along with something that will change Kylie's views on a few members for the camp.**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It had been a week since that first week at camp and true to her aunt's words, Kylie didn't leave Daryl Dixon alone. She kept on persisting, kept coming around him and his brothers tents, pestering him for tracking and hunting lessons. Sure she would help the others in the camp with the cooking and cleaning and washing laundry. Kylie even helped looked after the children of the camp, keeping them occupied while their parents went about their own chores.

When Daryl finally caved, Kylie knew that it was more to get her to leave him alone, but she was happy none the less. He told her to be ready bright and early, and she was. In fact she was up and ready before he was, dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a turquoise button up with a white tank top underneath and her tall black boots. By the time Daryl showed up, Kylie had finished securing her black and green bowie knife and pink glock in their respective holsters on her hip.

"Lets head out" was all he said not even waiting for Kylie to say anything before walking past the empty cans the group had set up around the camp's perimeter and into the woods.

The two of them walked in silence for a while before Daryl stopped short and squatted to the ground and moved a few leave's aside.

"You know the point of this is to teach me" Kylie huffed when Daryl began to walk away again.

With a sigh, Daryl stopped and turned back to her, motioning for her to come by him near where he had disturbed the leaves.

"What do you see?" he asked, Kylie just squinted her eyes at the dirt.

"Too small to be a person or a walker. Not a paw print that's for sure…." she trailed off as she looked at the print in the soil. "Deer?" she asked him, looking up at him, Daryl just nodded his head. "God I haven't had venison in forever."

"Which way is it going?" he asked her. Kylie noticed that his way of teaching was different than when her uncle was teaching her how to handle a gun, or when her friend was teaching her how to fish. Daryl asked her the questions, wanting her to figure it out for herself. Kylie was silent for a moment as she stared at the print again, with her eyebrows knit together she silent stood and crept away from where they were with Daryl following closely behind her.

They walked in silence, quietly tracking the deer. Daryl was surprised that she had picked up tracking so easily. And surprised that she was was doing so silently. In the past week, the woman was always moving, always playful.

It had been a few hours and the sun was high in the sky. Both Daryl and Kylie were dripping with sweat and decided to take a short lunch break before returning to their hunt.

"This is nice" Kylie commented as she leaned against a tree. "No walkers or anything out here, it's almost peaceful" she smiled. "See why you spend so much time out here."

"Come on, back to the hunt" Daryl said gruffly as he stood and slung his crossbow back onto his shoulder. Kylie just sighed and stood as well and went back to tracking her deer.

As she followed the prints, Kylie couldn't help but think about what Shane had said to her before she left with Daryl. Telling her that her leaving to go on a hunt was a bad idea, and that they needed her to watch the kids and do some laundry. Normally Kylie didn't mind the mundane things like cooking and doing laundry, and she absolutely loved hanging out with Carl and the other kids. But she wanted to do something more productive. She needed to.

The sun was setting when Daryl and Kylie had tracked the deer almost in a complete circle, it was heading close to camp. And when they finally caught up to it, Daryl figured that now would be as good a time as any to teach his companion how to use this large crossbow.

But before he could even open his mouth to ask her opinion on the matter, a loud moan bounced off the trees. Which caused the female deer to run off.

"That wasn't a walker" Kylie muttered as she walked silently towards where the sound came from. But she stopped short when she heard even more ecstasy filled moans. As weird as it sounded, she _knew_ those moans. She had heard them for years through the walls of her house. It was her aunt Lori. And she had a gut feeling as to who her uncle's wife was with. "Let's get back to camp" she growled, walking away from the noise and back towards camp.

Daryl didn't question her, instead just followed her in silence.

Even though they didn't get the deer, Kylie and Daryl didn't go back to camp empty handed. Before the deer had run off, Daryl had killed numerous squirrels and rabbits for dinner. Kylie barely spoke throughout dinner, and when she saw her aunt and Shane, she walked the other way towards her tent to change into her pajamas and grab her large pink Victoria's Secret blanket. She planned on sleeping by the fires that night.

After everyone else had gone to bed, Kylie stayed by the fire pit fiddling with her large bowie knife. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear someone coming up to her.

"What are you doing out here?" a low voice sounded from behind her. On instinct, Kylie rose and pulled her black and pink gun, only to let out a sigh when she saw that it was just Daryl.

"Can't sleep" she shrugged, and it wasn't a complete lie.

"Bull" he responded, folding his arms over his chest.

"Just really don't feel like being in the tent right now" Kylie added, wrapping her blanket tightly around her body. Daryl just nodded silently, knowing why she didn't want to share the tent with her aunt.

"Come on" Kylie just rose an eyebrow at his words. "You ain't sleepin' out here" he told her.

Kylie didn't say a word, instead she stood from her seat and followed him silently back to his tent. Glad that his tent was set up away from the others and that his brother was already fast asleep. She was too tired to deal with the older man's perverted comments.

Daryl didn't seem like the type to share his bed with anyone for anything other than sex, yet he was sharing with Kylie. Each of them wrapped in their own blankets, falling easily into sleep.

* * *

 **AN:Another chapter yay! I am so glad that so many people are enjoying Kylie and her story so far! Now I know that it seems like Daryl is slightly out of character right now, but for the direction I intend for this story to go, I needed to show Kylie and Daryl's friendship. But I hope you guys liked it anywas :) I also figured that the only way that Daryl would ever teach Kylie how to hunt and track was if she annoyed him to death first. lol.**

 **Also I know it seems a little weird that Kylie can recognize Lori's moans, but like I stated in that scene. She had spent enough time in the same house as her aunt and uncle and could hear them clearly. It was also crucial to her finding out about Lori and Shane.**

 **Anyways, next monday Kylie gets a present, Amy teases her friend and I finally get to the start of the actual show! So stay tuned!**

 **As Always, Leave love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

After the incident in the woods, Kylie spent as little time as possible around Lori and Shane. Whenever Daryl would go out on a hunt, Kylie would tag along. And on the days where she couldn't get away or Merle went with his brother, Kylie would spend her time down by the lake with Amy or playing cards with Glenn.

She didn't know how to approach her aunt, and it had gotten to the point where Kylie had asked Glenn to be on the lookout for a tent on one one of his runs into the city. Which he succeeded in doing. Carl didn't understand why his cousin was no longer sleeping in the same time as him, Kylie simply told the little boy that she needed her space.

After almost a week and a half of hunting with Daryl, the surly redneck had surprised her with a mini crossbow pistol of her own. She didn't use the weapon often, and it was usually kept in a bag under Daryl's cot. Unlike her gun and bowie knife, the crossbow wasn't kept on her at all times.

The group had been camping at the quarry for almost a month and a half with, thankfully, no attacks. Things were peaceful.

Daryl had decided to go on an overnight trip, one of which Kylie would not be joining him on. It wouldn't be the first time he had left to hunt throughout the night. But even with her friends, family and other the camp members, Kylie still couldn't shake the loneliness.

After he had left, Kylie decided to stick by Amy's side and the two of them spent the day in the water.

"Mmm, this is nice" Kylie hummed as she floated on her back next to Amy.

"Soo right" Amy smiled. "Best idea you've had in a while" she paused for a minute before turning to her friend. "So does this little dip have anything to do with the lack of your 'hunting buddy'?"

"W-what are you talking about?" Kylie sputtered. "Amy, you know Daryl and I are just friends" she added.

"Yup, sure" Amy smirked. "Keep telling yourself that." With a huff, Kylie sent a large splash of water towards her friend.

"You're not funny" Kylie responded before sinking under the cool water. The subject was dropped after that.

For the next few hours the two girls stayed in the water, both trying to keep their minds off of what was going around them. Kylie knew that her friend was internally freaking out since her sister went with a small group into the city that morning. So she did what she could to keep herself and her friend calm.

After their swim, Kylie and Amy laid out in the sand, soaking up the sun. Since neither of them had brought towels with them, Kylie knew that they would be venturing back into the lake soon enough. Just to wash off the sand that had stuck to their bodies.

"If you could be any creature or in any story ever, what would you choose?" Amy asked, causing Kylie to glance over at her.

"Either a fairy or a mermaid" Kylie nodded. "What about you?" she asked.

"Mermaid, definitely" Amy said with a sure voice. Kylie just nodded. Both women had initially bonded over their love for fairy-tale creatures. Amy's favorite being mermaids while Kylie still had trouble choosing a favorite. "Ugh, I'm wearing this sand like a second skin. You wanna take a quick dip before we head back up?" Kylie responded with a smile and a nod to her blonde friend and they instantly raced into the water, splashing each other and laughing as they went.

Hours later, after Kylie and Amy made their way back up to the tents, the clouds began to roll in. The rain hadn't started yet, but Kylie knew that it was only a matter of time. After Kylie had pulled a Lion King tank top and shorts over her bikini, she strapped her gun to her hip and joined her friend by the fire pit with the fabric clinging to her damp skin.

"It's getting late, they should be back by now" Kylie heard Amy state as she began to pace, the brunette could tell that her friend was worried about her older sister, Andrea.

"Worrying won't make it better" an older man, Dale, told her as he attempted to fix his RV.

"Calm down Ames, I know for a fact that they'll be back soon" Kylie told her as her pulled her damp brown hair up into a loose ponytail. But Amy didn't listen, and continued to pace as she bit on her thumbnail. With a sigh, Kylie went back to her tent to grab a sharpening stone, her bowie knife was was starting to get dull and she wanted it as lethal as possible. Just in case.

" _Hello base camp!_ " came a staticy voice from the old CB radio that was stationed on the top of Dales RV. " _Can anybody out there hear me?_ " the voice asked. Kylie couldn't make out who the voice belonged to, but she figured that it was T-Dog, one of the men who had gone into the city for supplies. " _Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?_ " he asked.

"Hello? Hello?" Dale responded, since he was closest to the radio. "Receptions bad on this end. Repeat, repeat."

" _Shane is that you_?" T-Dog asked, causing Kylie to roll her eyes. Of course the man would think that he was talking to the self-appointed leader of the group.

"Is that them?" Lori asked, looking up at Dale, who just motioned for her to be silent.

" _We're in some deep shit_ " T-Dog said " _We're trapped in the department store_ "

"They say they're trapped?" Shane said, although it was more of a question. By this time, Kylie had given up on sharpening her knife and walked over to where Amy stood.

" _There are geeks all over the place, hundreds of them, we're surrounded_ " the man told them.

"T-Dog, repeat that last, repeat" Dale said as he fiddled with the dials on the radio, trying to get a better signal. But there was nothing but static.

"He said the department store" Lori said, Kylie looked at Amy, giving her friend a reassuring smile. before she walked over to her aunt and cousin.

"I heard it too" Dale told her.

"Shane?" Lori turned to her husbands friend.

"No way" Shane started "we do not go after them. We do not risk the rest of the group. Ya'll know that."

"So we're we're just gunna leave her there?" Amy asked angrily, more concerned about her sister than anything.

"Look, Amy, I know that this is not easy..." Shane started.

"She volunteered to go" Amy told him. "To help the rest of us."

"I know" Shane nodded. "And she knew the risks, right? See, if she's trapped, she's gone. So we just have to deal with that" Amy looked heartbroken at his words. "There's nothing we could do."

"She's her sister, ass-hat" Kylie growled, coming to her friends defense. Ever since Kylie first hunting trip, she made her dislike for Shane known. "Come on, Ames" she added, leading her friend away from the group and back towards their neighboring tents.

"That son of a bitch, how could he say that"? Amy said loudly once they were inside Kylies' tent.

"I don't know, girl, he's a dick. Been saying that since I was seventeen" Kylie sighed, even as a teenager Kylie could barely stand her uncles best friend.

"I almost forgot that you knew him before all this" Amy said.

"I wish I could forget" Kylie grumbled. "But don't worry, Ames, if they're not back by morning. I'll go down there myself and bring them back"

"Thank you, Kylie" Amy said quietly.

"Anytime, Amy."

* * *

 **AN: sweet a new chapter! I know that there wasn't much to this chapter and honestly I was slightly disappointed in the length of this one myself,but i hope you guys still enjoyed it. Personally I loved Amy and Kylie's interaction in this chapter, i feel like it shows how close the two girls have become in the few shorts weeks that they have been at the quarry.**

 **So next week Kylie jokes around with Carl and a family is reunited! So stay tuned!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

After a while, Kylie had left her friend who simply wanted to be alone and wait for her sister to return. Which Kylie understood, so she went and found her aunt, who was trimming Carl's hair by the fire pits.

"Baby, the more you fidget the longer it takes. So don't, okay?" Lori told her son as she slowly but away his hair.

"Plus, you fidget, mom slips and bam! Little Carl's missing an ear." Kylie joked as she sat down with them.

"Not funny, Kylie" Carl said as he glared at his cousin. "And I'm trying mom" he added quietly.

"If you think this is bad, wait till you start shaving" Shane started as he checked over his shotgun. "That stings, that day comes you'll be wishing for one of your mama or cousin's hair cuts" the man added.

"I'll believe that when I see it" Carl grumbled from his spot on the ground.

"Oh come on, Kid. My hair cuts ain't that bad are they?" Kylie asked her cousin with a playful pout.

"When you joke about cuttin' off ear they aren't" Carl responded, causing the three adults to laugh.

"Tell you what. You just get through this with some manly dignity and tomorrow I'll teach you something special" Shane spoke, "I'll teach you to catch frogs."

"I've caught a frog before" Carl told him.

"I said frogs, plural" Shane responded. "And It's an art, my friend. It is not to be taken lightly." A she spoke, Lori and Kylie both looked at Shane. Lori looked at him with amusement in her eyes, while Kylie simply looked at him like he was an idiot. "There are ways and means, few people know about it. I'm willing to share my secrets."

"Oh I'm a girl, you talk to him" Lori told her son when he looked up at her questioningly.

"It's a one time offer, bud. Not to be repeated" Shane said as he examined his shotgun, making sure that it was clean. Sure Kylie's patience with the man was wearing thin, but she would never deny that he cared about Carl.

"Why do we need frogs, plural?" Carl asked.

"You ever eat frog legs?" Shane questioned, earning a grimace from Carl.

"Eww" the boy said.

"No yum!" Shane contradicted.

"No he's right. Eww" Lori agreed with her son.

"For once in my life, I agree with Shane" Kylie spoke up. "Frog legs are actually pretty damn good" she said.

"How do you know?" Lori asked her niece.

"'Member for my eighteenth, I went camping with the guys?" Kylie asked, Lori just nodded. "Uncle Rick had me on drug testing still, so I couldn't do anything and I was bored. Mikey and I went out and caught some frogs, cooked 'em up. And they were actually pretty tasty" she said with a swift nod.

"Plus when you get down to that last can of beans, You're gunna be loving those frog legs, lady" Shane told his best friends wife." I can see it now... ' _Shane do you think I could have a second helping, please_?'" Shane added, impersonating Lori perfectly.

"Yea I doubt that" Lori said.

"Don't listen to her, kiddo. Frog legs are soooo good" Kylie told her cousin as she fixed her messy brown hair.

"Yea, man, you and me will be heroes. We'll feed these folks cajun style Kermit legs" Shane said.

"See Shane, now you ruined it for me." Kylie pouted at his comparison.

"I would rather eat Miss Piggy" Lori mumbled as she tried to even out Carl's hair.

"Oh my god, that did not sound right, Aunt Lori" Kylie said as she wrinkled her nose, causing her aunt to laugh.

"Yes that came out wrong" she nodded, causing Shane and Kylie to laugh.

"Heroes, son, spoken of in song and legend." Shane said to the boy, the entire time they had been talking about frog legs, Carl hadn't moved once. "You and me, Shane and Carl." Shane said, causing Carl to laugh.

"Can Kylie come too, since she's done it before?" he asked with hope in his eyes. Carl loved to spend time with his older cousin.

"If she's not too busy hangin' out with Daryl" Shane said, glancing at Kylie. "And if she wants to" he shrugged.

Kylie was about to say something when the group heard a car alarm approaching them. "Dale can you see what it is?" Kylie called up to the man who was sitting on top of the RV.

"Talk to me Dale" Shane said, rushing over to the man with Kylie right behind him.

"I can't tell yet" Dale told them.

"Let him get a good look at it" Kylie grumbled to Shane, elbowing his ribs as he went to open his mouth.

"Is it them? Are they back?" Amy asked as everyone started to crowd around the entrance to the clearing.

"I'll be damned" Dale mumbled.

"What is it?" Amy asked him.

"Stolen car is my guess." Dale told her.

"Sweet, what kind?" Kylie asked, earning her a glare from Shane.

"Challenger" Dale smiled down at the brunette. They all stood quietly as they car came closer and pulled onto the small path.

"Sweet" Kylie smiled as soon as she saw the red and black 2010 Challenger, "Glenn!" she cheered as she saw the Korean boy climb out of the car.

"Holy crap, turn that damn thing off!" Dale told him as everyone else walked over to the car.

"I don't know how!" Glenn responded.

"Pop the hood" Kylie told Glenn with a sigh just as Amy came up to him, asking about Andrea.

"Is Andrea okay?" Amy asked him as he went into the car and popped the hood of the car for Kylie.

"She's okay! She's okay!" Glenn told her.

"Is she coming back?" Came Amy's next question, just as Kylie managed to shut off the car alarm.

"Yes" Glenn nodded.

"Why isn't she with you? Where is she? She's okay?" Amy questioned, just as Kylie walked over to her friends.

"Amy, sweetie, let the man breathe" she laughed, patting the Korean on the back.

"Yes! Yeah, fine. Everybody is." Glenn told them "Well, Merle not so much" he added, causing Kylie to bite her lower lip. She had a strong feeling that this wasn't going to end well for the Dixon Brothers.

"You crazy driving this wailing bastard up here, you tryna draw every walker for miles?" Shane asked as he looked at the engine of the Mustang. "And Kylie how did you know how to shut off the alarm?" he asked the girl.

"You're forgetting that I was a delinquent before I went to live with Rick and Lori" Kylie scoffed, loosely wrapping an around her blonde friends shoulder.

"I think we're okay" Dale said as he scanned the area for any activity.

"You call being stupid okay?" Shane snapped at the old man.

"Shane, Dale's right. The alarm was echoing all over these hills, hard to pinpoint the source." Kylie told the man, wanting to stick up for her friend.

"I'm not arguing, Shane, I'm just saying…" Dale said with a shrug before he turned to Glenn. "And it wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?" Dale said to the younger man.

"Sorry" Glenn said. "Got a cool car" he added, causing Kylie to grin.

"Damn right you did, buddy" she said, punching his shoulder playfully. As the two joked around, a large box van pulled into the path. Everyone was silent as they waited for the rest of the group to climb out of the group.

"Andrea!" Amy cried as she broke away from Kylie and ran towards her sister. "You scared the shit out of me" Kylie her her friend say in a tearful voice as she hugged her sister.

Kylie watched as some of the group ran towards their family members, whereas Lori led Carl away from the group.

"How'd ya'll get out of there anyway?" Shane asked, after Dale greeted Morales. The tone of his voice Kylie to glare at the man.

"New guy." Glenn answered from his spot near the new car. "He got us out"

"New guy?" Kylie asked, looking towards her friend.

"Yea" Morales agreed. "Crazy vato just got into town." he paused for a second before turning towards the truck. "Hey helicopter boy! Come say hello." Kylie's heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she saw a man in a police uniform walked around the side of the van.

"Uncle Rick?" Kylie whispered, barely loud enough for Glenn to hear. "Uncle Rick!" she said louder, running over to her uncle. Her voice caused Shane, Lori and Carl to look over in her direction.

"Kylie. Oh my god" Rick whispered as he hugged his niece tightly.

"Dad!" They heard Carl yell, running over to them with Lori right being him. With tears in her eyes, Kylie moved aside and let Carl and Lori get at the man.

* * *

 **AN: So I decided to give you guys a treat and post today! But don't worry THERE WILL BE ANOTHER CHAPTER TOMORROW! Okay so I have made some stuff on polyvore for this story. However FF is being weird and won't post any of the links on my profile. :( Anyways, yea, so what did you all think about this special chapter? How do you think Rick is going to react when he finds out exactly how close Kylie is with a hot-head like Daryl? You shall see!**

 **Coming up: A family spends a little time together, Kylie is lonely and Kylie's offer to tell Daryl about his brother is thrown out the window. So come back tomorrow for the next chapter!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

For the next few hours, the small family spent as long as they possibly could around each other. Carl didn't leave his dad's side, while Kylie and Lori explained to him what had happened and why they were camping out in the quarry.

After dinner, the group was sitting around the fire. Some where in camp chairs, while others sat on logs or on the ground.

"What was it like?" Kylie asked her uncle, who was still holding onto his wife and son. "What did you feel when you woke up, I mean" she added.

"Disoriented." Rick answered after a moment or two. "I guess that come closest. Disoriented. Fear, confusion. All those things but...disoriented comes closest" he added as thunder rumbled.

"Words can be meager things" Dale said, placing his cup of water on the ground next to him. "Sometimes they fall short"

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from ever." Rick said.

"Mom and Kylie said that you died." Carl informed his father. Rick just looked down at the twelve year old who sat in his lap, before glancing at both Lori and Kylie.

"They both had every reason to believe that" Rick told the boy with a smile. "Don't you ever doubt it."

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gunna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta, and it never happened."

"Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell." Rick stated and his wife gave him a nod. "And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun."

"Yea, looks don't deceive" Shane told his friend. "I barely got them out. After picking Kylie up from work, I almost had to handcuff her 'cuz she was too damn stubborn" he added, earning him a glare from the brunette.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane." Rick said, his eyes boring into his old friends. "I can't begin to express it."

"There are those words falling short again" Dale stated after a small beat of silence. "Paltry things" he add with a chuckle. The small group was silent for a moment, just relishing in the fact that they were all together. Until they heard a soft crash. Glancing over to the next fire pit, Kylie saw Ed Peletier placing another log on his fire.

"Hey Ed," Shane called over, causing the rest of the group to look in the older mans direction. "You want to rethink that log?" he asked.

"It's cold, man" Ed told him, not bothering to look over.

"The cold don't change the rules, does it?" Shane asked from his spot on the ground. "Keep our fires low, just embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

"I said, it's cold" Ed started as he glanced over his shoulder at Shane. "You should mind your own business for once."

At that, Shane stood and walked over to where the Peletier family sat, ignoring T-Dog who tried to stop and causing Kylie to sigh. She didn't hear the conversation that was had, but she did see Ed tell his wife to pull the burning log out of the fire.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon?" Dale asked as soon as Shane sat back down. Kylie just groaned, she had almost forgotten that Daryl was coming back from his hunt in the morning. "He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind"

"I'll tell him," T-Dog spoke up. "I dropped the key, it's on me"

"I cuffed him. That makes it mine." Rick threw in.

"Guys, it's not a competition" Glenn told them "I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy"

"I did what I did, hell if I'm gunna hide from him" T-Dog told the Korean.

"We could lie" Amy spoke up from her spot cuddled next to her sister.

"Or tell the truth" Andrea said. "Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed." Andrea paused before looking at Lori. "You're husband did what was necessary. And if Merle got left behind, it is nobody's fault but Merle's."

"And that's what we tell Daryl?" Dale asked. "I don't see a rational discussion from that…." the old man trailed off before looking over at Kylie. "Unless we have Kylie talk to him" he suggested.

"Why Kylie?" Rick asked.

"Well, you niece is the only one in the group besides Merle that Daryl trusts" Dale told the ex-cop, who looked in Kylie's direction as well, causing her cheeks to flush.

"Kylie?" Rick questioned his niece.

"What?" she sighed. "If you're trying to ask me if I'll tell Daryl that his only living relative was left cuffed to a rooftop, then fine I'll do it." The group was silent again for a moment. "I'm going to bed, Daryl might not kill me like he would anyone else, but I'd like to be wide awake for the yelling" and with that, she left the fire to curl up on the safety of her tent.

She tossed and turned until the fires went out and everyone had dispersed into their own tents and sleeping areas. Once she was sure that nobody was awake, Kylie wrapped her pink fleece blanket around her shoulders and made her way into Daryl's tent. With a sigh, Kylie curled up on his cot and fell into and easy sleep as the thunder rumbled and the rain came down.

When Kylie woke up the next morning, she could hear that everyone else was already up and getting ready for their days. As soon as she stepped out of Daryl's tent, she saw her uncle walking towards where Glenn and the other stood with the Mustang.

"Mornin' Rick" Kylie yawned as they met up.

"Mornin' Lee" her uncle responded, giving her a one armed hug. "So what's the deal with you and this Daryl character?" he asked his niece, who just shrugged.

"Nothin' really" was all she said as they passed by Carol, who was organizing everyone's clothes.

"Morning" she greeted softly.

"Morning" Kylie and Rick greeted in unison.

"They're still a little damp" Carol told Rick, putting a hand on his recently washed clothes. "The sun'll have 'em dry in no time" she added.

"You washed my clothes?" he asked.

"Well, best we could, scrubbing on a washboard ain't half as good as my old Maytag back home" Carol said, Kylie just nodded in agreement.

"That's very kind, thank you" Rick told the woman before he and Kylie walked over to Glenn and the others, who were stripping down the Mustang.

"Look at 'em" Glenn said sadly.

"Vultures" Kylie spat as she watched the men destroy the car in front of her.

"Yea, go on, strip it clean" Glenn told them.

"Generators need every drop of fuel they can get" Dale told them as he walked by and patted Glenn on the shoulder. "Got no power without it. Sorry, Glenn" he added.

"Thought I'd get to drive it at least a few more days." Glenn mumbled.

"I thought I'd get to drive it at least once." Kylie pouted, running her fingers through her hair.

"Maybe we'll get to steal another one someday. Especially if we have Kylie around" Rick joked, shoving his niece's shoulder playfully before he walked over to where his wife was hanging up laundry to dry.

"What did he mean by that?" Glenn asked his friend, who just shrugged.

"I used to steal cars when I was a kid" she told him with a shrug. "I'll catch you later, I need to get changed" she told him before walking back in the direction she came from. Quickly she changed into her loose fitting Nirvana t-shirt, a pair of cut up shorts and her worn out converse high-tops. Just as she exited her tent and was clipping her black and green bowie knife to her hip, Kylie heard a scream.

"Mom!" She could tell right away that it was her little cousin. Without a second thought, Kylie ran past everyone else in the group and ran into the woods, followed by Rick, Lori and the others.

After she was sure that Carl and the other children were safe in their parents arms, Kylie rushed forward with the guys on her tail.

"Holy shit" she breathed. kneeling in front of her was a walker, feasting on the innards of a deer.

"Kylie, back up" Rick whispered to his niece as Shane and the other's surrounded the walker with weapons of all kinds in their hands.

Suddenly the walker turned around and attempted to charge at Rick, but the men of the camp were too quick and began beating the walking corpse. With every swing, Kylie tried opening her mouth, but no one would let her speak.

"It's the first one we've had up here" Dale huffed after he decapitated the walker. "They never come this far up the mountain" he added.

"Well, they're runnin' out of food in the city, that's what" Jim responded. They were all silent for a minute, until they heard a branch snapping followed by foot steps.

* * *

 **AN: as promised here is todays chapter! OMG guys I'm almost done writing S1, I'm soooo excited! So what did you all think about this chapter? Who do you think is sneaking up on Kylie and the others? ;p lol. What do you all think is gunna happen next? Let me know what you think!**

 **Coming up: Kylie misses Daryl, Glenn teases Kylie plus lots and lots of DRAMAAAA! So come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Quickly Rick and the others readied their weapon's, expecting another walker. Kylie let out a sigh of relief when she saw Daryl walk out from behind the large boulder. With a smile, she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Which caused Daryl to stiffen slightly, as he was not used to the interaction.

"Take it you missed me?" he joked lowly. Once he recovered from the shock of the hug, he put an arm around her shoulder and led her over to the others. Kylie just nodded against his chest. "Son of a bitch" he groaned as soon as he saw the dead walker and the decimated deer. "That's my deer!" he exclaimed, guiding Kylie over to the deer. "Look at it all gnawed on by this…" he paused for a second to hand his crossbow to Kylie. "filthy, disease-bearing, motherless, poxy bastard" he said, enunciating each word with a kick to the walkers now lifeless body.

"Calm down, son, that's not helping" Dale told him.

"What do you know about it old man?" Daryl said angrily, walking over to the man. "Why don't you take the stupid hat and go back to 'On Golden Pond'" he added harshly before walking back to the dead deer to retrieve his arrows. "I've been tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp. Kylie mentioned she ain't had venison in a while, so I figured I'd cook us all up some."

"Aww, ain't that sweet." Glenn said lowly to his female friend who just elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Shut up" she hissed. There was no denying that Kylie and Daryl had gotten closer since their first hunt together, and Glenn loved to tease his friend about it.

"What do you think? Think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" he asked the group, motioning around the part of the deer that the walker had eaten.

"I would not risk that" Shane said, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"That's a damn shame. Sorry, Ky" he said to the brunette girl, who just shrugged. "But I got some squirrel, bout a dozen or so, that'll have to do" he added, turning back to the others. Suddenly the decapitated walker head's eyes and mouth began to move, trying to get at them. Without thinking, Kylie release one of the arrows from Daryl's crossbow, hitting it in the center of it's forehead.

"Have you guys never seen a zombie movie, It's gotta be the brain" she told them, handing Daryl back the cross bow after ripping the arrow out of the walker's head.

"I didn't know you could use a cross bow" Rick said to his niece as they all ventured back to camp.

"Daryl taught me" Kylie shrugged before skipping ahead of him.

"Merle!" she heard Daryl call out.

"Shit" she groaned before running after him, trying to tell him what had happened the day before.

"Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up." he said, placing his cross bow down on one of the logs.

"Daryl, can I talk to you for a minute?" Kylie asked.

"Ky, you wanna learn how to skin squirrel?" Daryl asked her, completely ignoring her question.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you" Shane said once he caught up with them.

"About what?" Daryl asked as he turned to face the other man. Sensing what was about to happen, Kylie took a few steps away from Daryl, effectively removing herself from the swing zone.

"About Merle" Shane said. "There was a….there was a problem in Atlanta." Daryl just looked around at everyone before he started to pace.

"He dead?" he asked.

"We're not sure" Shane answered after a minute or two.

"He either is or he ain't!" Daryl shouted.

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it…" Rick started as he walked over to where the two other men stood.

"Who are you?" Daryl asked.

"Rick Grimes." he answered. "Kylie's uncle" Daryl glanced in the brunette's direction and saw that she was pinching the bridge of her nose in aggravation.

"Rick Grimes, you got somethin' to tell me?" Daryl asked, stepping closer to Rick.

"Your brother was a danger to us all" Rick told him. "So I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there"

"Hold on." Daryl started as he turned away from Rick. "Let me process this. Saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!" Daryl shouted.

Knowing that a fight was about to happen, Kylie sat down on a near by log with an exasperated sigh. Pulling up small pieces of grass in boredom.

"Yea" Rick told Daryl calmly.

Suddenly, Daryl tossed his rope of squirrels over Ricks head as a means to distract. But Rick simply ducked, having them fly right over his head, just as Shane tackled Daryl to the ground. As soon as Daryl hit the ground, he pulled his serrated bowie knife out of his hostler.

"Watch the knife!" T-Dog said, dropping the firewood he had been carrying.

"Daryl cut the shit!" Kylie told her friend, but he wasn't listening as he swung his knife at her uncle. Rick easily dodged it, knocking the knife out of the man's hand while Shane crept up from behind and took Daryl to the ground with a choke hold.

"You best let me go!" Daryl shouted.

"Nah, I think it's better if i don't" Shane responded as he took Daryl to the ground with ease.

With anger written on her face, Kylie walked over to them and picked up Daryl's knife. As she twirled it around in her fingers, the brunette stood beside them and watched with a glare.

"Choke holds illegal" Daryl said with a grunt.

"You can file a complaint" Shane said sarcastically as Rick knelt down in front of Daryl. "Come on man, we can keep this up all day" the dark haired man added as Daryl continued to squirm.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic" Rick said, keeping his ever present nice-cop voice. "Do you think we can manage that?" he asked. When Daryl didn't answer, he repeated his words. After a moment, Shane let Daryl go and stepped away. "What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work or play well with others."

"It's not Ricks fault. I had the key" T-Dog spoke up. "I dropped it."

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asked.

"I dropped it down a drain" T-Dog clarified.

"If it's supposed to make me feel better it don't" Daryl said as he stood, walking over to Kylie to retrieve his knife.

"Well maybe this will." T-Dog said as Daryl put his knife back in it's sheath. "Look I chained the door to the roof...so the geeks couldn't get at him...with a pad-lock"

"It's gotta count for something" Rick added.

"Hell with all ya'll" Daryll shouted as he tried to hide how upset he was. "Just tell me where he is. So's I can go get him."

"He'll show you." Lori said softly from the door of the RV. "Isn't that right?" Rick paused for a moment, looking around at the members of the group before nodding his head.

"I'm going back."

"I'll be down at the tents." Kylie grumbled to Daryl before stalking off, away from everyone else.

She knew that Daryl and her uncle were going to go into the city. And that they were probably going to drag Glenn along with them. Kylie sniffed as she sat down in one of the camp chair Daryl had placed near their tents around a small fire pit he had dug. Suffice to say, she wasn't a fan of the idea, much like some of the others in the camp. Not because she didn't want them to go, but because she would want to go with them. But Kylie wasn't stupid, even with her uncle vouching for her the chances of her going with them to help were slim at best.

* * *

 **AN: woooo new chapter! I always love giving you guys a new one, and I have sooooooo many for you guys! In fact I finished writing the entire first season! Wooo go me! lol. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I also want to give a big thanks to all of you who are still sticking with this story and are reading, reviewing, following and adding it to your favorites list. It means so much and I love you all!**

 **Coming up: Kylie and Daryl have a heart to heart of sorts, Kylie learns how to skin a squirrel and and Rick gathers people to go with him to Atlanta. Will Kylie be joining her uncle, Daryl and the others? Or will she be forced to stay in camp? Come back next week to find out!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: okay so for some reason, fanfiction isn't showing the links on my profile, except for my youtube video. So if any of you had tried to check it out and go to my polyvore account to see my pretty pretty pictures I'll give you the link here. Go to** **www. polyvore in_end /collection? id= 4397081. Just take out the spaces!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Kylie wasn't alone for long when she heard a twig snap from behind her. Lazily, she turned her head and saw Daryl walking towards her. With a sigh, she curled up deeper in the chair and rested her chin on her propped up hand.

"You guys are stupid, you know that right?" She asked after a while of sitting in silence, not making contact with her friend.

"Why, for going back for my brother?" Daryl said to her, his voice angrier than he had intended.

"You do realize that my uncle just came back to my family, right? After we all thought he was dead, he came back" Kylie told him, finally looking over at him. "And now he's walkin' away. I mean I get it, you wantin' to find your brother and my uncle wantin' to get him back. It just….sucks" she added with a grumble. "Just wish I could help, I guess" she added with a shrug as she stood from her chair and went over to her tent.

"Why couldn't you?" Daryl asked as he watched her unzip the door.

"Daryl," Kylie sighed. "My uncle's always looked out for me, but he always let me do my own thing for the most part. But you see how Shane treats me, it's always a fight whenever I wanna go out on a hunt with you" she said with a shrug, pulling her duffle of dirty clothes out of her tent and tossing it to the ground. "Grab what you need washed, I'll do it while you guys are gone. 'Cuz apparently, that's all us females are good for" she added, saying the last part with a grumble.

"First of all" Daryl started as he stood from the chair and walked over to his tent. "That ain't all your good for. Second of all, you're a better hunter and fighter than half the men here. Don't beat yourself over a few sexist douchebags." he added before entering the small-ish tent.

Most of the people in the camp thought that Daryl Dixon was an ass, that he didn't give a shit about anyone or anything other than his brother. But Kylie knew that wasn't true. She knew that it was just a front due to a difficult past and to keep others at arms length.

Kylie waited for a few minutes while she watched Daryl toss a few articles of dirty clothes out at her to throw into her own duffle. Which she did.

When Daryl came back out to join her, she saw that he had something in his hands. Blushing when she realized that it was her blanket from the night before.

"Mind tellin' me why your blankets in my tent?" he asked her, causing her cheeks to darken even more.

"You spent the night in the woods." Kylie said with a shrug, trying to play off her embarrassment. She knew that she had no reason to be embarrassed. Last night wasn't the first time that she had spent the night in his tent while he went on an overnight hunt. Normally she would take her blankets and stuff back to her own tent before he would come back in the morning.

"Right." Daryl nodded, before tossing her blanket back inside of his tent, much to her surprise. "Come on, Ky, let's go skin us some squirrel" he smiled, throwing his arm around Kylie's shoulder and leading her back up the small hill.

During their short time at their campsite, and as friends, Daryl had taken it upon himself to teach Kylie how to hunt and skin the game. He was glad to know that he didn't need to teach her how to shoot a gun or how to properly handle a knife. Kylie learned those two things long before the friends had met, thanks to her cop uncle.

He wasn't surprised when she had picked up the task of removing an animal's skin fairly easy. She was a quick study, something he had learned early on in their friendship.

"Here, start on this one" Daryl said, handing Kylie another squirrel, standing as they saw Rick and Shane walking towards them.

"Why would you risk your life for a douchebag like Merle Dixon?" they heard Shane asked.

"Hey, choose your words more carefully" Daryl warned.

"No, I did" Shane told him. "Douchebags what I ment" he added, causing Kylie to roll her eyes as she started skinning the squirrel and Daryl took his seat next to her. "Merle Dixon… the guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst."

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me" Rick told his friend. "I can't let a man die of thirst, me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." he added.

"So you and Daryl? That's your big plan?" Lori asked her husband. Rick didn't say anything, instead he just turned and looked at Glenn. As he did, Kylie let out a loud groan.

"Oh, come on" Glenn groaned, knowing what Rick was trying to ask him.

"You know the way," Rick explained. "You've been there before...in and out, no problem. You said so yourself" he added as Glenn ran a nervous hand through his hair. "It's not fair of me to ask, I know that...But I'd feel a lot better with you along. And I know Lori and Kylie would to" Rick told him as he pointed to the two women in question.

"Actually, Rick. That doesn't make me feel better." Kylie spoke up. "What would make me feel better would be if I was going with ya'll" she told him, stabbing her green and black knife into the stump beside her.

"You're not going Kylie" Shane told her sternly. "It's not safe"

"I'm twenty-nine years old, Shane" she reminded him. "You don't need to look out for me" the brunette paused before pulling her knife out of the wood and began to skin yet another squirrel. "Told you" she mumbled, just loud enough for Daryl to hear.

"That's just great, now you're gunna risk three men, huh?" Shane asked in an aggravated tone as he turned back to Rick.

"Four" T-Dog corrected.

"My day just get's better and better, don't it" Daryl said with a scoff as he scanned his arrows, cleaning blood off of words causing Kylie to nudge him slightly in warning.

"You see anybody else here, besides Kylie, stepping up to save your brothers cracker ass?" T-Dog asked.

"Why you?" Daryl asked as he continued to clean his arrows.

"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language." Was T-Dog's response.

"That's four" Kylie nodded, wiping the stray squirrel blood off on her Nirvana shirt.

"It's not just four." Shane said. "You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that Rick. Come on, you saw that walker. It was here. It was in camp" he said. At this point, Kylie had tuned out Shane and Rick's conversation.

"Daryl, is that mini-crossbow pistol still in your tent?" she asked him nervously as she chewed on her lower lip.

"Yea, why?" he asked, turning to face her.

"I just…. I have a bad feeling and I'd feel a whole hell of a lot better if I had it on me" she admitted after a second of silence. Daryl just nodded.

"It's in the duffle under my cot" he informed her. "Go on and get it, I wanna check it out before we leave" Kylie nodded and stood from her spot, quietly jogging back to Daryl's tent. It didn't take her long to find the small crossbow along with about twenty spare bolts.

"Here" Kylie huffed as she jogged over to the box van. Daryl held out a hand to help her up, before taking the pistol styled cross bow from her.

"You remember how to use it?" he asked, Kylie just nodded. "Good. Keep it on you at all times. We'll be back before you know it" he said before kissing the top of her head, something he had taken to doing before a run. But only if she was worried.

With that, Kylie jumped out of the van and walked over to where T-Dog stood with her uncle.

"You bring my boys back to me, you hear?" she asked him.

"You know it Kylie" T-Dog told her before walking towards the truck.

"Hey T-Dog!" she called, causing him to turn back to her. "That means you too"

* * *

 **AN: Welcome back guys! Honestly I almost forgot that today was monday, and that it was a 'post a chapter day' lol. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the mild bonding between Kylie and Daryl. As well with the small little bit of bonding between Kylie and T-Dog. It seemed to me that almost everyone that was going to Atlanta were all really close with Kylie, except for T-Dog. So I wanted her to show that he means alot to her as well. Also, can you guys see the small hints of a crush? I know I can!**

 **Coming up: bonding between women, Kylie gets cocky, and Shane goes cuckoo-banana's lol. So come back next week to see what happens!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: Also I would like to thank everyone who has followed, reviewed, read and added this story to their favorites list. It means so much to me! I would also like to give a big shout-out to one of my reviewers: Sevvus. Sweetheart, you make me want to post like every chapter I have written and then some, lol. Your reviews always make me laugh. Your enthusiasm is what I enjoy so much about what I do. So keep 'em coming! **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Kylie watched as the box van pulled around the corner and left her sights. After letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Kylie made her way back over to the squirrel carcasses that she was skinning. By the time she finished skinning and cutting up the last one, a few women of the camp decided that it was a good time to start on the laundry.

"So that Rick guy's your uncle?" Amy asked her friend as they walked down to the lake with Andrea and a woman named Jacqui.

"Yea" Kylie noded, shifting the weight of the duffle bag on her shoulder.

"It's weird, all of my uncles are a lot older than me. But Rick seems like he's only six years older than you, at least" Jacqui spoke up.

"We had one of them old fashioned families" Kylie started to explain. "You know the ones where people get married real young and start popping out babies as soon as they can and stop when they're bodies can't handle it no more. Daddy and Momma had me real young too, So Rick and I are pretty close in age, but still far enough apart where he still thinks he can boss me around" she added, saying the last few words with a grumble.

It didn't take them long to reach the lake and start getting everything ready to wash their laundry. By the time they all got the buckets filled with soapy water, the four women heard the sound of tires crunching the sand and gravel beneath their weight. Glancing over to the side, Kylie saw that it was Ed and Carol Peletier, causing her to growl lowly.

"You okay?" Amy asked.

"Guess the asshole decided to join us" she said darkly, her eyes glancing quickly over to the car that was quickly being unloaded.

"I'm going to see if she needs any help bringing everything down" Jacqui volunteered.

Minutes later, Amy, Carol and Kylie were sitting in front of their buckets with their feet in the water while Andrea and Jacqui grabbed a few more loads of laundry.

"I'm beginning to question the division of labor here" Kylie heard Jacqui say from behind her. The young brunette didn't need to ask Jacqui what she was talking about as she heard the splashes from the other corner of the lake. Shane was goofing around in the water, trying to get Carl's mind off of his father. "Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" Jacqui asked as she readied more clothes to be washed.

"The world ended, didn't you get the memo?" Amy joked as she scrubbed at one of Kylie's tank tops. "At least Kylie get's to tromp around in the woods every now and again with a sexy, brooding red neck" she added, elbowing her friend in the ribs.

"Yea, cuz he's teaching me to hunt" Kylie said, a blush rushing to her cheeks. She wouldn't deny that Daryl was a fine specimen of man. But she wouldn't pursue anything further than friendship with him. Not if there was a chance of ruining what they already had.

From her other side, Kylie saw Carol glance back up to where the car was, keeping a watchful eye on her husband, Kylie wanted to say something, offer the older woman help, anything to get her and her daughter out of the damaging situation. But she didn't want to overstep her bounds.

"It's just they way it is" She said quietly as she handed Jacqui a shirt to ring out.

"It's stupid is what it is" Kylie grumbled as she tried scrubbing out a blood stain on one of Daryl's shirts. The five women sat in silence for a few minutes before Carol spoke up.

"I do miss my Maytag" she sighed as she fiddled with one of her daughters shirts.

"I miss my benz, my satnav." Andrea spoke up after a small moment of silence.

"I miss my coffee maker" Jacqui almost moaned as she rang out the shirt she was holding. "With that dual drip filter and built in grinder, honey"

"My computer and texting" Amy said.

"Hmmm, my slushie machine" Kylie added into the mix, causing Andrea and Jacqui to laugh.

"You had a slushie machine?" Jacqui asked with a chuckle. "How did you manage that one honey?" she asked as Kylie handed her another shirt.

"I worked in a convenience store before my boss thought it would be a good idea to try and have my organs for lunch. Got free slushies everyday for, like four years" Kylie laughed. "Damn now I kinda miss my job" she sighed as she grabbed another one of Daryl's shirts.

"I miss my vibrator" Andrea threw out after a second or two.

"Oh my god!" Amy laughed at her sister.

"Me too" Carol said after nonchalantly glancing over her shoulder at her husband, making sure he wasn't listening to them. At her remark, the other four women started laughing harder.

"What's so funny?" Ed asked as he approached them.

"Just swapping war stories, Ed" Andrea joked. But he wasn't appeased as he walked behind them, puffing away on his cigarette. His presence making a shiver run down Kylie's spine. She didn't like being close to this violently dangerous man.

"Got a problem Ed?" Kylie asked before she could even stop the words from coming out of her mouth. Just as they did, she silently kicked herself. This wasn't the first time her mouth had gotten away from her. And more often than not, it caused her more trouble than the words were worth.

"Nothin' that concerns you" he said in an almost calm voice. "And you ought to focus on your work. This ain't no comedy club" he added, his words causing Kylie to roll her eyes.

To her side, she could see Andrea getting upset, much like Kylie was. As soon as she saw Andrea drop a brush into one of the now empty buckets, Kylie tensed knowing full well what was about to happen.

"Ed, tell you what." Andrea started as she stood from her seat. Kylie stood with her, just in case. "You don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here" she told him, throwing one of the wet shirts to the man.

"Ain't my job, missy" he said as he threw it back at her with more force than was necessary. Just as he did, the others stood up as well, while Kylie walked closer so that she was standing just barely in front of Andrea.

"Kylie don't!" Amy called from behind her, knowing what her brunette friend was about to do.

"And what is your job, Ed?" She asked, folding her arms over her wet and blood-stained shirt.

"Is it sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?" Andrea asked, moving s that she was shoulder to shoulder with Kylie.

"Well, it sure as hell ain't listenin' to some uppity smart mouthed bitch or some common gutter skank." he told them. "Come on, let's go" he directed towards Carol who hadn't moved from her spot.

"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed" Kylie said and Andrea nodded her head in agreement, both of them hearing Carol move from her spot. Kylie Grimes was feeling cocky.

"And I say it's none of your business" he said before telling his battered wife to hurry up.

"Carol" Andrea said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Andrea, please it doesn't matter" Carol said as she silently moved around the blonde.

"Hey, don't think I won't knock you on your ass, Just 'cuz you some college educated cooze, alright?" Ed threatened Andrea, who just gasped in disbelief as she looked at Kylie who was fuming. "Now you come on now, or you gunna regret it later" he directed towards his wife.

"So she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed?" Jacqui spoke up from behind them.

"Yeah, we've seen them, douchebag." Kylie added, her eyes narrow slits as she glared at the man, who just laughed.

"Ya'll stay out of this" he warned before telling his wife to follow him yet again. "You know what, this ain't none of ya'lls business. You don't wanna keep proddin' the bull here, okay. Now I am done talkin'" he attempted to threaten, his eyes landing on Kylie as he gripped Carol's arm tightly. Tight enough to leave finger shaped bruises on her skin.

Andrea, Amy, Jacqui and Kylie all tried to pull Carol away from the abusive mans grip, wanting to prevent any more harm to their friend. Over the shouts of the other women, Kylie could hear Ed threaten them all one more time, just as he raised his hand to slap Andrea. Quickly Kylie pushed her blonde friend out of the way, only to take her place.

As soon as his large hand connected with her cheek, Kylie reacted. She threw swift punches to the man's beer belly, causing him to groan in pain. As he was distracted by the small hands that were sending a barrage of accurate punches to his torso, Kylie brought her leg up and kneed him in the groin.

When Ed doubled over in pain, Kylie pulled her knife. She was seeing red. No one put their hands on her without paying the price. But before she could even step closer to the man on the ground, strong arms pulled her back.

"Get her the hell out of here!" Kylie heard Shane growl. The next thing Kylie knew, Amy was leading her away from the lake and back up to the campsite. She could still hear Carol's cries and Shane's fists making contact with Ed's already bruised skin.

* * *

 **AN: Alright so Kylie totally fucked Ed up, Shane just finished him off. Honestly, I was gunna have Kylie try and stab him. But honestly, she wouldn't try and fail, she would have killed him and that would have changed everything! Also I hope that Kylie's family dynamics didn't confuse you all. It wouldn't be the first time I've had someone get confused when it comes to the 'old fashioned family' thing lol. So anyways, what do you guys think chapter nine? Did you like it? I hope you guys did!**

 **Coming up next: Jim goes bonkers and talks some smack, and Kylie has a smart mouth (honestly next weeks really just filler lol) So come back and see what happens!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: Also big thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed followed and fave'd this story. It means so much to me and keeps me in the mood to write! And a extra large side of epic-thanks to Sevvus, sweetheart you are an absolute riot and I love you lol**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

A few hours after the event's down at the lake, Kylie decided to hide away in her tent. She didn't want to answer any of the questions that were sure to coming her way. With a sigh, Kylie glanced at her bruised hand as it fiddled with one of the golden colored bolts for her small crossbow. Apparently, Ed's gut was harder than it looked.

A part of her wished that Shane hadn't stopped her from stabbing Ed. But she knew that killing the man wasn't the right thing to do. Even though he was a woman beating peice of trash.

Amy had been by to check on her, and to see if her friend wanted to go fishing with the sisters. But Kylie declined. She knew that Amy and Andrea need the time together doing something that the two of them loved.

Once afternoon hit, Kylie took down her hair, hoping to hide the large red handprint that she knew was on her cheek. Though it did nothing for her split lip.

After making sure her crossbow was hanging safely from her belt, and that she had all of her bolts in her pockets, Kylie left her tent and went to go up to the fires.

"Kylie, are you okay?" Lori asked her niece as she sat down on a log across from her.

"Yea, I'm fine. I've had worse" Kylie shrugged. Lori simply nodded and knew that it was true. It seemed as if every weekend, or anytime that Kylie went to the bar, she would come home riddled with cuts and bruises.

They were silent for a little while and Kylie could tell that Lori and Carl were both worried about Rick.

"Oh baby would you look at that?! Hey check it out." Kylie heard Morales say happily. Curious, Kylie turned to see both Amy and Andrea walking towards them. Both with at least a dozen fish in their hands.

Lori applauded in shock as she watched Andrea handed her catch to Morales.

"Ladies, because of you my children will eat tonight. Thank you" he told them happily.

"Thank Dale" Andrea responded as Kylie handed Amy a bottle of water. "It's his canoe and gear"

"Mom, Kylie, look! Look at all the fish!" Carl said excitedly from next to his mother. "Whoa" he said quietly, as he walked over and started poking one of the dead fish.

"Yea whoa. Where'd did you two learn to do that?" Lori as the sisters.

"Or dad" Amy said with a smile.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl asked.

"Me too!" Kylie put in, sure she knew how to hunt fairly well thanks to Daryl. But it couldn't hurt to know more about fishing. Especially in the world that they were now living in.

"Sure!" Amy said happily. "I'll teach you guys all about nail knots and stuff." At that she shared a look with her sister and Kylie knew that it was probably an inside joke between the sisters. "If that's okay" she added, directing her words towards Lori.

"You catch me arguing" Lori said.

"Hi Dale!" Kylie chirped a minute later when she saw the older man walking towards them with his shotgun over his shoulder.

"Hey Dale" Andrea started, turning towards the man. "When's the last time you oiled those line reels? They are a disgrace." But her question was ignored.

"I, uh… I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem" he told them as he turned and pointed to a far off ledge. Peeking over the man's shoulder, Kylie saw Jim furiously digging into the ground. "He's been up there digging for a few hours now. I thought he would stop after a while, but he hasn't yet."

"We should go and check on him." Kylie said and Shane nodded in agreement. With that, the group made the short trek up the hill and over to where Jim was still digging. As soon as she was close enough, Kylie could see exactly what he was doing. Jim was digging graves. Enough for everyone in the camp.

"Hey, Jim" Shane said when the man didn't seem to notice that they were all there. "Jim why don't you hold up, all right?" he asked. "Just give me a second here, please?"

"What do you want?" Jim asked as he stopped digging.

"We're just a little concerned, that's all" Shane told him.

"Dale says you've been out here for hours" Kylie said softly from her spot behind Shane.

"So?" Jim asked.

"So why are you digging?" Shane responded, wanting answers. "Are you headin' to China, Jim?" he added with a light chuckle.

"He wouldn't end up in China" Kylie spoke up. "If anything he'd end up in, like New Zealand or in the middle of the ocean" she said, causing Shane to roll his eyes at her.

"What does it matter? I'm not hurtin' anyone" Jim directed towards Shane as he began to dig again.

"Yea, except maybe yourself" Dale told him, and Kylie nodded in agreement. Being out in the hot Georgia sun, doing hard labor without any form of hydration wasn't good for the body.

"Jim, it's a hundred degrees out today" Kylie told him. "You can't keep this up"

"Sure I can, watch me." To Kylie, his voice sounded almost cheerful. And that unnerved her just a little bit.

"Jim, they're not going to say it, so I will." Lori said as she walked over to stand next to Kylie. "You're scaring people. You're scaring my son, and Carol's daughter" she told him, glancing back to where Carol stood with Sofia and Carol, the woman's arms wrapped protectively around the children.

"They got nothing to be scared of" Jim told them. "I mean, what the hell people? I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all just go and leave me the hell alone?" Kylie rose her eyebrows as the man started digging the grave again.

"We think that you need to take a break, okay?" Shane suggested after a moment of silence. "Why don't you go and get yourself in the shade? Some food maybe. I'll tell you what...maybe in a little bit I'll come out here. I'll help you myself."

"Me too" Kylie pitched in. "I'm no stranger to manual labor and hard work" she shrugged.

"Jim, just tell me what it's about" Shane said, but Jim didn't respond, he just kept digging. "Why don't you go ahead and give me that shovel?"

"Or what?" Jim snapped, driving the blade into the dirt.

"There is no or what. I'm asking you. I'm coming to you and I'm asking, please" Shane said. "I don't want to have to take it from you."

"If I don't, then what?" Jim asked. "The you gunna beat my face in like Ed Peletier, aren't you? Maybe Kylie could get a few good cuts in with that buck knife of 'll seen his face, huh? What's left of it." he addressed the group. "See now that's what happens when someone crosses you."

"That was different Jim" Shane stated calmly.

"You weren't there" Amy spoke up. "Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife and tried putting his hands on Kylie."

"That is there marriage, That is not his!" Jim snapped. "And we all know how Kylie is, hangin' around with the Dixon's. Has quite the anger problem herself if I'm not mistaken" he added. "Shane is not judge and jury. Who voted you king boss, huh?"

"Jim, I am not here to argue with you all right?" Shane said, his voice still calm. "Just give me the shovel, okay?" he continued as he stepped towards Jim, who just backed away with his grip on the shovels handle.

Suddenly, Jim swung the shovel, hoping to hit Shane. But it was easily avoided and Jim was tackled to the ground. There was a small struggle between the two men as Shane tried to restrain the overheated man. Kylie tuned there words out, however as she watched them, hoping things didn't escalate too far.

"Jim, nobody is gunna hurt you, okay?" Shane said, trying to calm the other man down as he pulled out his pair of regulation handcuffs.

"That's a lie. That's the biggest lie there is" Jim almost sobbed. "I told that to my wife and my two boys.I said it a hundred times, it didn't matter" he explained, trying to keep himself from sobbing. "They came out of nowhere. There were dozens of 'em. Just pulled 'em right out of my hands. You know the only reason I got away was 'cause the dead were too busy eating my family."

Kylie's heart broke for the man. He was truly alone in this world. His family was gone and there was nothing left. Jim had told her what had happened to his family, that the walkers had gotten to them. But seeing the man, broken and face down in the dirt….it broke her heart.

* * *

 **AN: omg guys I am soooooo sorry for not posting yesterday like I was supposed to! Honestly I was super distracted by an impromptu TrueBlood marathon lol. But still I remembered and posted and yea haha. Anyways I hope you guys liked this chapter, even though not much really happened and stuff. Other than Jim going frigign cuckoo banana's. Still thanks to all of you who have read reviewed, favorited and followed and stuff. It makes me happy. Even though I wish more of you would review.**

 **Coming up: the camp has a good dinner of fish and enjoy another night of life only to have it ruined. So stay tuned!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

After a while, Shane and the other's were able to get Jim back down to the encampment. Tying the man to a tree for safe measure. Kylie didn't quite agree with it, but she wasn't the one in charge.

As she sat at a small table with Lori, Carol, Carl and Sophia, Kylie watched as Shane approached the over heated man.

Since the world ended, the three women had decided that it would be good to give the children of their camp at least some semblance of normalcy. School. Kylie didn't participate in teaching the children often, but when she did she always tried to make it enjoyable to them. Often she would crack jokes or make up silly analogies, just to make the kids laugh.

"Sorry if I scared your boy and your little girl" a voice piped up a little ways in front of them. Kylie knew it was Jim without even looking up from the paper Carl had handed her to check over.

"You had sunstroke. Nobody's blaming you" Lori told the man calmly.

"You're not scared now are you?" Jim directed towards the two children.

"No sir" Sophia spoke up.

"Your mama's right. Sun just cooked my head is all" Jim added on after a beat of silence. "Your dad was in it" he said to Carl. "You were too. You were worried about him. I can't remember the rest. You worried about your dad?" he asked the boy.

"They're not back yet" Carl said, causing Kylie to put a hand on the top of her cousins head and ruffle his hair lightly, trying to reassure him that the others would be alright.

"We don't need to talk about that" Lori added in, rubbing Carl's arm gently.

"You're dad's a police officer, son" Jim started. "He helps people. Probably just came across some folks needing help, that's all. That man, he's tough as nails. I don't know him well but...I could see it in him" he told Carl. "Am I right?" Jim added, looking up at Shane.

"Oh yea" Shane breathed.

"He is. Man could I tell you stories…" Kylie laughed, earning her a pointed look from her aunt. "But, none that should be repeated in front of small ears" she added almost sheepishly as she ruffled Carl's hair yet again.

"There ain't nothin' gunna stop him from gettin' back here to you, you're mom and you're cousin. I promise you that" Jim's words caused both Lori and Kylie to smile.

"He's right, kiddo" Kylie told her cousin. "Your daddy's a strong man, and he'll fight heaven and earth to get back here to you." she smiled. "Now let's see how your work's coming along."

"Alright," Shane spoke up a moment later as he grabbed the metal water bucket from the ground. "Who wants to help me clean some fish, huh?" he asked, mostly directing his words towards the children.

"Sweet, come on, Sophia" Carl said to the girl and both children quickly jumped out of their seats and chased after Shane.

"Stay with Carol, alright" Lori told her son as the other woman started to stand and go after the kids.

"I think Carl has a little crush" Kylie mused once the kids were out of earshot.

"You think?" Lori laughs.

"I'm gunna head up. If I can skin a squirrel, then I most definitely can gut a fish" Kylie jokes, before she too stood from her seat and went up to join the others.

It didn't take long to finished preparing all of the fish that Andrea and Amy had caught. Kylie even found that it was a simple task, especially after learning how to skin squirrels. The only difficult part was making sure that none of the small, brittle bones were left behind.

Shane had tried telling her that the fish would be fine if they cooked it as is after they small aquatic critters were gutted. But Kylie wasn't taking no for an answer and went to her tent to grab some of the seasonings she had grabbed from her work before they all vacated to Atlanta.

"Hey, Kylie can I talk to you for a second?" Andrea asked as she pulled Kylie aside once she handed Carol the seasonings and led her over to the RV. "It's Amy's birthday tomorrow" she stated, reaching her hand into her pocket. "Do you think she'll like it?" she asked, handing a small necklace to the brunette. Kylie moved the object around in her hands, admiring the small mermaid charm.

"I think she'll love it. Mermaid rule, after all" Kylie smiled as she handing the necklace back.

"Did you get her anything?" Andrea asked. Kylie just shook her head. The brunette didn't even know that it was Amy's birthday. "Then it'll be from both of us" she smiled. Kylie just smiled back with a nod before making her way back over to the fire pits, where Morales was circling around the larger one with a smile.

"I, uh, built up the rocks all around, see?" the man said while some of the others were setting up more chairs, getting ready for dinner. "So the flames can be a little higher and have 'em hidden"

"Dude, smart" Kylie praise, patting him on the back before she sat on a log near the fire.

The sun was already setting behind the trees and the Fish Fry was well under way. When everyone was served their helping, Kylie made sure to put some aside for their missing members, in hopes that they would return before the night was over.

"Man, oh man that's good" Shane almost moaned as he finished off the last bite of his fish.

"Told ya the seasonings were a good idea" Kylie mused as she put her beer bottle to her lips. By now the sun was pretty much gone, but the now larger fire was giving them all the warmth and light that they all needed.

"Yea, don't rub it in, Lee" Shane laughed, causing the others to laugh as well.

"I gotta ask you man," Morales said, turning his gaze onto Dale. "It's been driving me crazy."

"What?" Dale questioned.

"That watch" Morales answered, pointing his fork towards the object in question.

"What's wrong with my watch?" Dale asked as he fiddled with the timepiece at his wrist.

"I see you, everyday, the same time, winding that thing" Morales pointed out "Like a village priest saying mass"

"I've wondered this myself" Jacqui said, causing Kylie nodded as she took in the last bite of her fish.

"Same here" Kylie quipped.

"I'm missing the point" Dale told them with a smile.

"Unless I'm missing the signs, the world seems to have come to an end" Jacqui started.

"Or at least hit a major speed bump" Kylie nodded in agreement.

"But there's you everyday, winding that stupid watch."

"Time." Came Dale's simple answer. "It's important to keep track, isn't it? The day's at least" he added. Dale paused for a moment, looking around the group before settling on Andrea. "Don't you think, Andrea?" he asked the blonde. "Back me up here"

"I get it" Kylie shrugged, placing her now empty plate on the ground before grabbing her beer. "Regardless of this crazy speed bump, it's still important to keep track and stuff." she added.

"I like what um, a father said to his son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations" Dale started. "He said, I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my fathers before me; I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may never forget it for a moment now and then, and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it" the old man quoted.

There was a long moment of silence as everyone around the fire soaked in his words. Kylie smiled, even though she knew that Dale was rephrasing the famous words, it still warmed her thoughts.

"You are so weird" Amy joked after a while, causing some of the others to chuckle at her words.

"It's not me. It's Faulkner." Dale explained. "Maybe my bad paraphrasing" he admitted.

"Well, I thought that it was beautiful, Dale" Kylie smiled, sipping from her bottle, earning her an appreciative nod from the man.

"Where you going?" Andrea asked when she saw her sister standing up.

"I have to pee." Amy said quietly. "Jeez, you try to be discreet around here…" she mumbled sarcastically, causing Kylie to chuckle at her friend. Then, in a flash, Amy was in the RV.

Without missing a beat, the group laughed and enjoyed their time together. But something was gnawing at her gut, telling her that something was about to go horribly wrong. She was thankful that she never let her small crossbow leave its spot on her belt.

Suddenly, their laughter was cut short by a blood curdling scream. Kylie looked on with wide eyes, Amy had been bitten. Walkers were in their camp.

* * *

 **AN: oh noes, walkers! Hopefully Daryl and the others get back soon! How do you think Kylie is gunna react to what's going on currently in the camp? Do you guys think that she is gunna break down and run for cover or is she gunna stand in fight (though honestly the answer is obvious). Do you guys think that Kylie will gravitate more towards Andrea in the coming seasons due to their shared loss of Amy?**

 **guys i'm seriously sad, ain't nobody reviewed the last chapter. I think I'm gunna cry :'( So please, show some love! Love makes me happy and makes me wanna post multiple chapters in a day (though I wont).**

 **Also did I tell you guys that I finished writing ALL of season one? Cuz I did! So currently trying to do the same with my Teen Wolf story (Battlefield of Wolves) and my upcoming True Blood story (The Sweetest Sin, check it out when it's finally ready!)**

 **Coming up: Kylie Tests out her mini-crossbow pistol, and proves to be a descent shot with her own gun (though that fact is obvious to us lol), Daryl makes Kylie sleep, and bodies are buried And of course a SHIT TON of arguments take place, mostly between Daryl and the others. So come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **Ps: Did any of you guys check Fear the Walking Dead last night? If so what did you think? Personally, I'm not all that impressed, but I'm using it as a tide-over until october lol**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

After seeing the walkers round the RV and towards them, a few people screamed. It was a knee jerk reaction, and Kylie couldn't blame them for it. She fumbled with her crossbow for a moment before she was able to get her head on straight and cock her weapon as she slid a bolt into the notch.

Shane automatically jumped into action, cocking his shotgun and firing of a round at the walkers. Following his lead, Kylie pulled the trigger on the crossbow, embedding a bronze colored bolt into the zombies skull. Seeing that was all Kylie needed as she began cocking the crossbow again before firing another shot.

In her peripheral vision, Kylie could see Andrea sobbing over Amy's blood covered body. Her heart shattered. Amy was Kylie's closest friend, not including Daryl and Glenn, and now she was gone. Kylie knew that Amy would become a walker, it was just a matter of time.

As fast as she could, Kylie fired bolt after bolt into as many walker-skulls as possible. Until she eventually ran out of bolts. Not wanting to leave the crossbow behind incase they needed to flee, Kylie hooked it back onto her belt before pulling out her hot pink gun.

Kylie was vaguely aware of the others moving around her. She kept her gun raised, firing off shot after shot, taking down as many walkers as she possibly could. Still Kylie kept her distance from the throng of walkers, she was not trying to become dinner.

When the last of the walkers fell, Kylie let out a sigh of relief. But she still didn't holster her weapon, not wanting to take that chance.

Andrea was still hovering over her sister's body. It was lucky that the older blonde hadn't been bitten during the mayhem. Kylie knew that it was only a matter of time before they would need to put a knife through Amy's skull. And that knowledge sent a wave of emotions through Kylie. All she could do was stare, unmoving.

Finally, as if in a daze, Kylie made her way over to her dying friend. Kneeling down next to Andrea, she finally let the tears fall.

"I don't know what do, Amy" Andrea said quietly through her tears. And it was then that the young blonde took her last breath and closed her eyes.

"I remember my dream now" Kylie heard Jim state. "Why I dug the holes..."

* * *

It took Daryl lifting Kylie up to get her to leave Amy's side. The two of them spent the rest of the night in his tent, him letting the brunette cry into his shoulder before she fell into an uneasy sleep.

Kylie woke late the next morning. As she blinked the sleep from her eyes, she looked around Daryl's tent, only to find that he wasn't there. With a sigh, she sat up on the cot and pulled her brown hair up into a tight pony tail. She knew what was in store for the day, making sure that the dead stayed that way.

As much as she wanted to prolong leaving the safety of Daryl's tent, Kylie knew that she couldn't. So she pulled herself away from the cot, and left to go change into a fresh set of clothes.

She fought back the tears as she pulled on a bathing suit along with a clean set of shorts. And, in honor of Amy, Kylie pulled on a white and red Little Mermaid tank-top. After she secured her weapons on her hip, Kylie wasted time by thoroughly brushing out her matted hair before pulling her highlighted locks up into a sleek ponytail.

By the time she made it to the others they were all hard at work. Daryl had emptied the bed of his truck and was now using it to transport the dead up the cliff to where Jim had dug the graves. It seemed as if there was a system already set in motion and everyone was participating except for Lori, Carol and the children. Andrea was still at her spot next to her dead sister.

Silently, Kylie walked over to Andrea and placed a comforting hand on the older womans shoulder before walking over to where Daryl and the others were. Without a word, Kylie unsheathed her knife and began shoving it through the dead walkers skulls. Just to be sure. For about an hour she worked, stabbing walkers before T-Dog and Glenn took the bodies and set them on the fire. Finally Kylie decided to take a break when she saw her uncle walk over to Dale, Lori and Carol.

"She still won't move?" Rick asked them. Kylie just shook her head.

"She won't talk to us" Lori responded.

"I don't think she's moved since last night" Kylie told him sadly.

"We can't just leave Amy like that" Shane spoke up after a moment. "We need to deal with it. Same as the others." Rick shifted quickly before nodding.

"I'll tell her how it is..." he trailed off before walking towards the grieving Andrea.

"Andrea..." Rick started, but Andrea didn't even let him finished before she aimed a gun at him.

"I know how the safety works." Kylie heard Andrea state. She watched as Rick slowly backed a short distance away.

"Alright. Okay. I'm sorry" he repeated before retreating slowly. Kylie just sighed sadly when Rick re-joined them. When Daryl joined them, Kylie smiled slightly before handing him her water bottle. She wouldn't let herself be happy at the given moment, but the hunter made it better.

"Ya'll can't be serious" Daryl started after taking a sip from the bottle. "Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a time bomb" he added, his words words causing Kylie to shift uncomfortably. She knew that Daryl was right, but a part of her didn't want to accept it.

"What do you suggest?" Rick asked.

"Take the shot" Daryl stated simply. "Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance."

"No." Lori interrupted. "For gods sakes, let her be." When she sat back down, Rick and Shane exchange silent looks, causing Daryl to scoff and back away.

"Daryl..." Kylie trailed off, but he ignored her and walked back over to the bodies of the walkers. Kylie watched him say something to Jim before Helping Morales move the bodies into the fire. Finally decided that she had a long enough break, Kylie walked over to them to double check the bodies, just was Glenn spoke up.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked the other two men. "This is for geeks. Our people go over there."

"What's the difference?" Daryl asked. "They're all infected."

"Our people go in the row over there" Glenn stated again , his voice cracking slightly.

"Glenn" Kylie said quietly, walking over to the trio and placing a hand on his arm, but he just ignored her.

"We don't burn them!" His raised voice causing Kylie to jump slightly, having never heard him use that tone before. Seeing her reaction, he calmed a little. "We bury them, understand? Our people go in that row over there."

Daryl glanced at Kylie, who nodded, before working with Morales drag the body over to the next row.

"You reap what you sow!" Daryl shouted, causing Kylie to groan. She knew that he was right. But there was too much going on without adding a fight to the mix.

"You know what? Shut up, man" Morales said as they dropped the body.

"Ya'll left my brother for dead" he shouted. "You had this coming!" he added before walking off.

"I'll go check on him..." Kylie said quietly before following after her friend, not waiting for a response from the others.

They worked in silence, sorting through the bodies. There were hundreds of things she wanted to say to him, but couldn't find the right way to say them. So instead she worked, shoving her blade through the temples of the walkers. But their silence was short lived.

"A walker got him. A walker big Jim!" Jacqui shouted as she back away from the man slowly. Hearing her, the group walked over to them.

"I'm okay" Jim stated quietly.

"Show it to us." Daryl demanded. Just as he did, Jim moved, picking up a shovel so that he could defend himself.

"Jim, put it down!" Kylie called, moving to get a little closer, but Daryl wouldn't let her.

"I'm okay. I'm okay" the man repeated, just as T-Dogg moved in behind him and held him in place. Daryl glanced back at Kylie before rushing towards Jim and LIfted up his shirt to reveal the bit on his abdomen. Kylie's hands flew to her mouth at the sight. "I'm okay. I'm okay..." he repeated over and over again, standing still once he was released.

Without a word, Daryl picked up his pickaxe and went back over to where Kylie stood.

"This isn't going to end well" Kylie grumbled as she walked away from Jim with the rest of the group, not leaving Daryl's side.

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it" Daryl said, of course no one but Kylie agreed.

"That what you'd want if it were you?" Shane asked.

"Yea and I'd thank you while you did it" Daryle answered simply.

"I'm with Daryl" Kylie finally spoke up, causing the others to look at her. "Look, Amy was my friend. But... it's just too dangerous to leave her be. And those bodies shouldn't be buried" she added.

"I hate to say it, I never thought I would, but maybe Daryl and Kylie are right..." Dale said, Kylie could tell that he wanted to add more, but her uncle interrupted the older man.

"Jim's not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog" Rick said.

"I'm not suggesting..." but Dale was cut off yet again.

"He's sick. A sick man" Rick scolded. "We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" he asked.

"The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be" Daryl put in.

"We can't risk it" Kylie said. "We don't know when they could turn, it needs to be done."

"What if we can get him help?" Rick suggested. "I heard the C.D.C was working on a cure."

"I heard that too." Shane told his friend. "Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell."

"What if the C.D.C's still up and running?" Rick asked. Kylie could tell that he was hoping beyond hope for an answer.

"Man, that is a stretch right there" Shane shook his head.

"Why? I there's any government left, any structure at all...they'd protect the C.D.C at all costs, wouldn't they?" Rick shot back. "I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection..." he trailed off.

"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too okay? Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning" Shane told his friend.

"That's backtracking about a hundred miles, Shane" Kylie pointed out.

"But it's away from the hot zone" Shane shot back, causing Kylie to roll her eyes. "Now listen to me," he continued "if that place is still operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there."

"The military were on the front lines of this thing" Rick said. As he spoke, Kylie watched as Daryl began to pace. "They got overrun. We've all seen that. The C.D.C is our best choice and Jim's only chance." There was silence for a moment, and Kylie notice Daryl glance back at Jim, who was still sitting by the R.V.

"You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do" he started as he began to back away from the group. " Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!" he shouted, raising his pickaxe to kill Jim.

"Daryl stop!" Kylie shouted, just as Rick walked towards him and pulled out his gun.

"We don't kill the living" Rick stated as Shane moved so that he was standing between Daryl and Jim.

"That's funny" Daryl scoffed. "Coming from a man who just put a gun to my head."

"We may disagree on somethings, not on this. You put it down" Shane ordered. With a grunt Daryl shoved the axe into the ground and walked away, brushing past Kylie.

"I'm sorry. But Daryl's right. Poor execution, but right none the less" Kylie told her uncle before walking away.

Instead of following Daryl, Kylie went back to her tent and began packing up her belongings. She knew that the group was probably going to spend one last night at the quarry before leaving. Putting her clothes into her duffel bag didn't take long. And by the time she was got done breaking down her tent, she was crying.

Kylie sat in a camp chair that was located near her and Daryl's tents. Her head in her hands as she cried. She sat there for a few minutes, trying to calm herself before drying her eyes and joining the others. Just as she cleared the trees, she saw Andrea and Dale talking near Amy's body, and she noticed Carol walk over to where Daryl.

"I'll do it. He's my husband" Kylie heard Carol say as she drew closer to them. Daryl looked towards Kylie who simply nodded her head. As soon as Kylie joined them, Daryl handed the axe to Carol who fought back her tears as she tried raising the tool. She swung once, hitting E'd corpse in the cheek. However, since she didn't get his brain, she tried swinging again and again. Each time the woman's aim became better and better, hitting her dead husband more times than necessary.

"I know it won't make you feel better, Carol" Kylie spoke up after she wrapped the woman in a hug. "I know you felt as if you loved him. But he didn't love you. Or Sophia. He's gone now. And he won't hurt either of you ever again" she soothed.

"Th-Thanks, Kylie" Carol sniffled.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up" Kylie offered a smile and Carol nodded her head. "You got this covered?" she asked Daryl, who just silently nodded his head. Without saying a word, Kylie helped Carol over to where the chairs were and sat her down next to Dale.

Suddenly there was movement over by where Andrea sat with her dead sister. Amy had reanimated and was trying to take a bite out of her sister.

"I'm here now Amy. I'm here." Then a gunshot rang through the air.

 **AN: Phew sooo much drama in the quarry camp, lol. So guys are do you feel about S1 of this story finally coming to an end? As we know, things are about to go to crazy town in the coming seasons. How do you guys think Kylie will handle everything that will happen? Let me know! Also, big thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed and whatnot. I love you all!**

 **Coming up: a plan is made, Lori and Kylie disagree on something (surprise surprise) and some fluffy bonding between our two favorite people! So come back next week to see what happens!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris Rainbow Wolf )0(**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The rest of the day was spent burying their dead and burning the rest. While Jim had dug enough graves for most of the dead group members, he hadn't finished, and still more need to be dug. Shane and Rick were the ones to finish digging, while Kylie helped Daryl load the bodies into the bed of his truck. She even sat in the passenger seat while he backed up the hill instead of walking with the others.

"I still think it's a mistake, not burning these bodies" Daryl stated as he and Kylie stepped out of the truck and walked over to Rick and Shane.

"That is what we said we would do" Kylie put in. "Burn 'em all, wasn't that the idea?" she asked.

"At first" Shane grunted as he dug his spade into the earth.

"The chinaman gets all emotional," Daryl added "says it's not the thing to do, we just follow him along?" he asked, Kylie just rolled her eyes. She just wished that he would calm his temper every once in a while. "These people need to know who the hell's in charge here, what the rules are."

"There are no rules" Rick cut him off.

"Well, that's the problem." Lori said from where she stood with the others. Kylie hadn't even heard them walk up. "We haven't had one minute to hold onto anything of our old selves. We need time to mourn and we need to bury our dead. It's what people do" she added.

"That's another problem" Kylie told her aunt. "Sure I think we should retain some part of the way things used to be. But certain things...there's just no _time_. Who's to say when we'll be attacked again" she shrugged. Everyone was silent for a few minutes, Daryl nodded to her, saying that he understood.

"Come on, ya'll we need to get the bodies to ground" Shane said, breaking the reverie. There weren't that many left of their group to bury, so they made quick work of it. The last to go was Amy. Kylie stood near Daryl as she watched Andrea struggle to place her sister in the hole, Dale not leaving her side in case she needed help. Kylie heard Lori and some of the others around her start to sniffle, causing Kylie to tear up as well. But she kept her face as straight as she could.

Once everyone was buried, the group had a moment of silence for their dead before head back down to camp. Kylie stayed close to her family during the walk.

"Burying other people is bad enough," Rick spoke softly to his wife and niece. "But the thought of one of us..."

"Shh..." Lori quieted him, putting a hand on her son's head.

"Are we safe now dad?" Carl asked. "Now that we're together?"

"I won't leave again" Rick told the boy, kneeling in front of him. "I promise you that. Not for anything." He paused for a moment and glanced at Kylie. "Now why don't you go back down with your cousin, give me a chance to discuss some things with your mom, okay?"

"Alright" Carl nodded with a teary smile.

"Come on kiddo. Why don't we head down to the lake and get cleaned up, huh?" Kylie asked, Carl just nodded and walked with her down the hill.

After the two of them finished washing up, not bothering to change out of their clothes just yet, Carl went to play with Sophia. Keeping the children in their line of vision, Kylie stood with Carol.

"Do you think you can keep an eye on Carl for me?" Kylie asked, "I don't like to smoke around him..." she trailed off as she motioned to the pack of cigarettes in her hand, and Carol just nodded.

"Of course" the woman smiled.

* * *

Later in the day, once everyone had calmed down, the group had crowded and were discussing what they were going to do next. Whether they were going to stay camped at the quarry, or if they were going to leave. And if they left, where they were going to go. They were all just waiting for Rick and Shane to return from doing a small sweeo around the camp.

A few members of the group had gone to check on Jim, who only seemed to get worse. Kylie knew that it was only a matter of time before he turned. There was no point in trying to find him help, she knew that Jim becoming a walker was inevitable.

"I've been uh.." Shane started when the two cops approached them. "I've been thinking about Ricks plan. Now look, there are no...there are no guarantees either way, I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts..." Shane paused for a moment to look around the group. "I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together. So those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning" he told them.

"Looks like we're going to the CDC" Kylie sighed, looking up at Glenn who stood behind her chair before she glance at Daryl who had been pacing not to far from where she sat.

After everything was settled, Kylie stood and went to pack up her things, leaving out a change of clothes for the morning. She barely noticed Daryl walking up behind her.

"So you think this is a good idea?" he asked her, Kylie didn't turn from where she was breaking down her tent to answer him.

"Doesn't matter what I think" she shrugged. "But if it did, yea. For _now_ the CDC is the best bet" she added before she turned towards him with a sigh. "Not for Jim though." Daryl just nodded in agreement.

"You plannin' on stayin' with me tonight?" Daryl asked, Kylie just smiled and nodded. "What makes you think I want you to stay with me?"

"I wouldn't give you a choice either way" she said with a large grin. Daryl just rolled his eyes before grumbling something under his breath before he grabbed her bag and tossed it into his tent.

Hours later, after everyone had eaten and Kylie entertained the children, the group turned in for the night. While Kylie lay in Daryl's tent, she couldn't help but mull over everything that has happened. Not just the attack and the loss of her friend. But everything that had happened in her family. She didn't even hear the tent unzip.

"Gunna give yourself a headache thinking like that" Daryl's voice sounded, causing Kylie's gaze to snap in his direction. Silently she watched him as he placed his crossbow against the bags in the corner before kicking off his boots and joining her on the cot. For some reason his closeness caused a blush to rise in her cheeks. Kylie didn't know what would cause her to suddenly react this way to him being in the same bed as her. It wasn't as if they hadn't shared a bed before.

"Night Daryl" she said quietly, snuggling deep under her pink blanket.

"Night, Ky."

But sleep didn't come easily for either of them that night. Both Daryl and Kylie lay awake, staring off into the darkness, neither one of them addressing the others state of awareness. Kylie couldn't help but think of Amy's words from days before. Did she feel something more than friendship towards Daryl? Did he feel the same? How would she talk to him about it? She had so many questions, and she wished that there was someone she could bring them to.

The two lay awake for hours, and when Kylie finally started to feel herself drift off, she felt a heavy arm wrap around her waist and pull her closer. With a smile, Kylie shifted so that she could be more comfortable and fell into an easy sleep.

* * *

 **AN: omg guys, chapter thirteen! Only six more chapters left in season one! I haven't started on season 2 yet, but i have looooots of ideas! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, i know i did. Especially the Daryl/ Kylie adorable-ness, lol. And there's lots more of that to come ;). Thanks to everyone who has given this story a chance and are sticking with it. I just hop you all stay with me during the short break i'll be taking when I start working on S2. Lots and Lots of you have added this story to your follow and favorite's lists and I have one question... where are your reviews?! Reviews are my lifes blood, lol.**

 **Coming up next: More Daryl. Kylie cuteness. Kylie shows a little bit more of her delinquent side. And a friend gets left behind. So stay tuned!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris Rainbow Wolf )0(**

 **PS: If any of you are interested, I am current working on a bunch of new stories. Hopefully I'll have them up in a few weeks. So here's the list:**

 **-Sweetest Sin- True Blood, Eric Northman/Oc**

 **-Falling Inside the Black- Game of Thrones, Jon Snow/Oc**

 **-Silver Archer (Shot Through the Heart Re-write)- Arrow, Roy Harper/ Oc**

 **-Devil's Choir- Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon/Oc**

 **-Lockwood Legends- The Vampire Diaries, Jeremy Gilbert/Oc (Pairing may change to Damon Salvatore/Oc)**

 **So be on the look out for those!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

When Kylie woke up the next morning, she was alone in the tent. Looking around, she noticed that her bags were no longer in the tent and all that was left was the cot, her and Daryl's blankets and her clothes and weapons.

"Ky get a move on!" she heard a voice shout from outside of the tent. Rolling her eyes, Kylie dressed quickly in a pair of shorts and a green tank top that read 'Faith trust and a little pixie dust' across the front. And after she pulled on her shoes and secured her weapons, Kylie folded up the blankets before placing them in the tote. Quickly she folded up the cot as well, placing both the tote and cot outside of the tent before breaking down her and Daryl's flimsy housing. In a matter of minutes, everything was strategically placed in the bed of Daryl's.

"You're ridin' with me, right?" he asked her once everything was put away, Kylie just nodded. "Alright, get the rest of your shit and put it in the cab" he said before walking over to his brothers motorcycle. Kylie knew that Merle would probably kill him if that got left behind.

With a roll of her eyes, she grabbed her Mickey Mouse bag and put it on the passenger seat floorboards.

"Alright everybody, listen up!" Shane's voice called out. "Those of you with C.B's we're gunna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay?" he told the group. "Now, you got a problem, don't have a C.B, can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gunna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?" Everyone was silent for a moment, before Morales spoke up.

"We're uh, We're not going" he said.

"We have family in Birmingham" his wife, Miranda, spoke up. "we want to be with our people" she added.

"You go on your own, you wont have anyone to watch your back" Shane informed the small family.

"We'll take the chance" Morales responded. "I got to do whats best with my family" he added.

"You sure?" Rick asked.

"We talked about it, we're sure" he answered.

Kylie watched silently as Rick and Shane sorted through the gun bag before handing Morales a pistol and box of ammo. Daryl scoffed and leaned against the truck. Sighing, Kylie moved so that she had her back against his front, hoping to keep his mind off of the aggravation he felt. She wasn't expecting to have his arm wrapping around her slim waist. Glenn shot his friend a knowing glance, Kylie just stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"Come on, let's move out" Shane said once everyone had said goodbye to the family. Sighing, Kylie pushed off from Daryl and went to the passenger seat of the truck and climbed in, with him behind the wheel. And with that, the group left the quarry.

* * *

The caravan had been on the road for hours. Kylie and Daryl spent most of that time in silence. Instead of speaking, Kylie simply rested her head on his shoulder as he drove. He tensed at first, but relaxed soon after before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Suddenly the caravan stopped and everyone started getting out of their respective vehicles. Kylie sighed when Daryl removed his arm and hopped out of the truck. Quietly she joined him and walked over to the R.V, which had smoke billowing from the front.

""I told you we'd never get far on that hose" Dale told Rick. "I said I need the one from the cube van" he added.

"Let me take a look" Kylie offered, causing some of the others to look at her. "What? In order to strip cars, you have to know how to fix them" she added with a shrug before taking a look under the hood.

"Can you jury-rig it?" Rick asked as he watched his niece work.

"That's all it's been so far," Dale sighed. "It's more duct tape than hose. And I'm out of duct tape"

"I have an extra roll in my bag, I can fix it up temporarily, but it won't hold forever." Kylie said, stepping away from the R.V and wiping her hands on her shorts before pulling back her hair. "We'll need a new hose, fast" she added before walking back to Daryl's truck to grab her bag.

"I see something up ahead" Shane stated. "Gas station if we're lucky"

"Ya'll, Jim..." came Jacqui's worried voice, she knew something was wrong, but she didn't stop working. They needed to be back on the road as fast as possible. "It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore."

"Hey, Rick you wanna hold down the fort?" Shane asked. "I'll drive head, see what I can bring back."

"Yea, I'll come along too and I'll back you up" T-Dogg offered.

"Be safe" was all Kylie said, not even looking up from her work on the radiator hose. She barely even noticed Rick enter the R.V and the others leave her side. Soon enough, the hose was taped back together again and Kylie was back at Daryl's truck puffing on a cigarette. Not to long after she finished working, Shane and T-Dog came back. They hadn't found much.

A few short minutes later, she saw her uncle leave the R.V and walked over to him with Daryl next to her.

"Jim want's to be left behind" he informed them. "It's what he says he wants."

"And he's lucid?" Carol asked.

"He seems to be" Rick nodded. "I would say yes."

"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood." Dale spoke up. "I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gunna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants..." he trailed off.

"And we have our answer" Kylie added quietly from her spot in between Daryl and her uncle.

"We just leave him here?" Shane spoke up a minute later. "We take off? Man, I'm not sure I could live with that."

"It's not up to you, Shane" Kylie said softly.

"Or Rick's" Lori added. "Or anyone's for that matter."

"Wanna help me get him out here?" Rick asked his friend. Shane just nodded.

"I'll be in the truck" was all Kylie said before walking away from the group.

Once there she sat in silence as she watched the other members of her group say their goodbyes to the dying man. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She had already said her goodbyes the moment they found out that he had been bit. Sure she was sad, and she knew that as soon as she was alone, there would be tears, but she tried not to focus on it.

As she watched everyone walk back to their cars, she saw Daryl stop a short ways in front of Jim and give the man a short nod. The action caused a small smile to grace Kylie's lips. It was Daryl's way of saying 'thank you.'

"You don't wanna say goodbye?" Daryl asked her once he was back at the truck, stealing the cigarette that hung loosely from her fingers.

"No" Kylie smiled, leaning her head back as she looked at him. "He knows how I feel" she added, glancing in Jim's direction.

* * *

 **AN: omg guys I'm soooo sorry for not updating yesterday! Honestly, I had gone out with friends sunday night and I just felt like complete and utter shit all day yesterday (I don't really drink anymore, so I wasn't hungover or anything.) But I'm all better now and I remembered to post and here we are! lol**

 **anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and all its awesomeness. So we got to see a bit more into Kylie's delinquent-y past. And of course we got to see more Daryl/Kylie fluffiness.**

 **only five more chapters left to go guys! And just as a warning, there will be a short hiatus after I post the last chapter so that I can get the other stories i'm working on ready, then of course actually writing season two for this one. So i hope you will all be patient and stick with this story still. i have big plans for it!**

 **coming up next: Daryl gets protective,the group arrives at the CDC, Glenn teases Kylie and of course some mild cuteness between our two 'lovers'. So stay tuned!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: oh hey guys, i have a question for ya'll. Ship names for Daryl and Kylie? What do you guys think? Cuz honestly I'm drawing a blank and I am kinda kinda sick of just calling them 'Daryl and Kylie' or Daryl/Kylie' and shit sooooo yea. HELP! lol**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The group had been on the road for hours. Kylie had grown tired at some point in the trip and fell asleep with her head resting against Daryl's shoulder. When she was finally jolted awake, the sun was started to disappear and the caravan had stopped a short distance away from a large building.

Through the passenger seat window, Kylie could see the bodies that had piled up. Along with a few straggling walkers which the group could easily avoid. Sighing, she watched as the members of her group exited their vehicles, sticking close to one another.

"You stay by me" Daryl warned before they got out of the truck. Kylie just rolled her eyes and followed suit, pulling out her knife as she did. As soon as she exited the truck, Kylie almost gagged from the scent of the rotting corpses.

Everyone stayed close together. Rick and Shane leading the with Daryl and Kylie bringing up the rear. She did as Daryl said, and stuck close to him, her knife at the ready. Quietly, they all moved towards the building, everyone close to gagging from the scent of rotting flesh. Before they knew it they were at the closed doors of the CDC.

"There's nobody here" T-Dog stated after Shane knocked on the shutter.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick asked.

"Walkers!" Daryl called out. "Ky you stay the fuck behind me" he growled as he raised his crossbow. Quickly he dispatched the three that had stumbled across the group. "You led us into a graveyard!" he shouted at Rick, moving to go after the man only to be stopped by Kylie.

"He made a call" Shane defended.

"It was the wrong damn call!" came Daryl's response as he sidestepped the small woman in front of him.

"Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up. Shut up!" Shane ordered angrily, pushing Daryl backwards before turning to face his friend. "Rick, this is a dead end."

"Where are we gunna go?" Carol asked fearfully, keeping her arms protectively around her daughter.

"Do you hear me? No blame" Shane said to Rick, ignoring Carol.

"I'm wondering the same thing Carol is" Kylie spoke up. "We can't stay here."

"She's right. We can't be this close to the city after dark" Lori agreed.

"Fort Benning, Rick...Still an option" Shane pointed out as Rick turned to face the building once more.

"On what?" Andrea stepped forward.

"It's a hundred miles away from here. We have no food, barely any fuel to make it back to the quarry. We're screwed. We need a better option" Kylie added, still not moving from her place next to Daryl.

"It's a hundred and twenty five miles." Glenn corrected. "I checked the map."

"Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now" Lori said as she held onto Carl as tight as she could.

"We'll think of something" Rick said. Just as he did, everyone started to back away from the building. Daryl had a tight grip on Kylie's arm, leading her away from the doors. "The camera...it moved" Rick spoke up, causing the others in the group to stop and look at the desperate cop.

"You imagined it" Dale told him.

"It moved" was all Rick had to say before he walked back to the door.

"Rick, it is dead, man" Shane approached. "It's an automated device. It's gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on" he added, as he tried to get his friend away from the door. Rick just shook him off and rushed the shutters and started banging on them.

"Rick there's nobody here!" Kylie shouted at her uncle, wanting to be far away from the dead-infested city as possible.

"I know you're in there" Rick ignored his niece. "I know you can hear me. Please, we're desperate.. Please help us. We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left" he begged.

"Rick" Lori cried, trying to get her husband to retreat back to the cars. Kylie ignored them as she scanned the area, silently she placed her knife back into the sheath on her hip before pulling out her gun. Daryl noticed her actions and gave her a short nod before releasing her arm, allowing her to raise the gun defensively.

Shane had finally managed to get his friend to walk away, when suddenly a bright white light cloaked the group causing them to turn back towards the building in shock. Kylie never dropped her gun.

"Daryl, cover the back" Shane ordered as the group moved quickly into the building. Daryl just looked at Kylie and she nodded, knowing that he wanted her to stay near him.

"Hello?" Rick called out as the group moved in to the dimly lit lobby of the C.D.C. Once Daryl and Kylie made sure that there were no longer any walkers around them, they closed the doors behind them and joined the others. "Hello?" Rick called out again, only to be met with the sound of a gun cocking. Swiftly, everyone with weapons raised them defensively to see a disheveled looking man step out of the shadows with a shot gun raised.

"Anybody infected?" the man called out.

"One of our group was" Rick answered. "He didn't make it."

"Why are you here? Whta do you want?" the man asked.

"A chance" was Rick'c next answer.

"That's asking an aweful lot these days" the man said, his gun still pointing towards the group.

"I know" Rick nodded his head, his breathing labored. The room was filled with silence as the group watched the exchange. Each one of them hoping that this strange man would give them a chance at survival. Maybe even answers.

"You all submit to a blood test" the man said after a minute. "That's the price of admission."

"We can do that" Rick nodded, causing the man to lower his gun.

"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now" he said. "Once this door closes, it stays closed" he added, walking towards them.

"Ky you stay here" Daryl ordered as he walked towards the doors with Rick and a few others. Kylie just rolled her eyes but complied as she holstered her gun.

"You got it" she nodded. She watched as the others dashed out to the cars, grabbed what bags they could and came back into the building. Just as they came through the doors, thye were instantly closed again by Dale and T-Dog.

"Vi, seal the main entrance" the man said after punching a few buttons on a keypad. "Kill the power up here." Kylie watched as they shutters dropped back down and they were closed off from the outside.

"Rick Grimes" Rick introduced.

"Dr. Edwin Jenner" the doctor responded.

Within minutes, they group and Dr. Jenner were crowded in an elevator, no one saying a word.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl asked from his spot ehind Kylie.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself" Jenner answered. "But you look harmless enough," he continued "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you" he added, sending a joking smile towards Carl. And then they were in silence once again.

Kylie was vaguely aware of Daryl's hand on her hip, clutching the fabric of her shirt lightly. Her cheeks darkened slightly, until she caught Glenn's eye. Her friend sent her a knowing smirk, which caused her to roll her eyes.

' _Shut up_ ' she mouthed to him. Glenn's smile just widened.

' _I didn't say anything_ ' he mouthed back. Kylie just elbowed him lightly, causing him to give a quiet grunt of pain.

"Are we underground?" Carol asked a few minutes later when the group was walking down a narrow hallway, following Dr. Jenner.

"Are you claustrophobic?" he asked, turning to face the woman.

"A little" was Carol's response.

"Try not to think about it" Jenner told her as he turned back around. "Vi, bring up the lights in the big room" he called out once they all reached a large, enclosed area. Suddenly the room was filled with light to reveal an array of computers. "Welcome to zone 5" he said to the group over his shoulder as he continued walking down the ramp and into the work area.

"Where is everybody?" Rick asked, following after Jenner. "The other doctors, the staff?"

"I'm it" was Jenners answer. "It's just me here."

"What about the person you were speaking with?" Lori asked.

"Yea, Vi" Kylie supplied.

"Vi, say hello to our guests" Jenner called out, instead of answering directly. "Tell them...welcome."

"Hello guests. Welcome" came a computerized female voice.

"I'm all that's left" Jenner told them once again. "I'm sorry."

"Shiiiiit" Kylie groaned. "Well this was a bust" she added quietly enough so that only Daryl could hear her, he just nodded in agreement.

* * *

 **AN: woo new chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed this one, even though it was mostly filler. I can't believe we're almost all the way through the first season with only four chapters left! It's been a crazy ride and I am so happy that so many of you are like this story. Your reviews make my life complete lol. So I just want to thank each and everyone of you. I also hope that you guys wont be too put off with the little mini hiatus that this story will be taking. I'm just working on so many different stories for so many different shows/books that I need to catch up. So don't hate me too much!**

 **Coming up: the group gets drunk, Shane's an ass (but we knew that already), Kylie tells a story. And something big happens to our favorite couple ;). So stay tuned!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: For those of you interested, here's a list of some of the stories I'm working on:**

 **Falling Inside the Black-Game of Thrones- Jon Snow/OC**

 **Shining Stars- The Vampire Diaries- Damon Salvatore/OC**

 **Devil's Choir-The Walking Dead- Daryl Dixon/OC**

 **The Silver Archer: The Beginning- Arrow- Roy Harper/OC (SHOT THROUGH THE HEART RE-WRITE)**

 **The Sweetest Sin- True Blood- Eric Northman/OC**

 **And of course all of the others stories that I have posted that I haven't worked on in a while. So if any of the stories on this list seem like something you would like, keep a lookout!**


	16. Chapter 16

**WARNING: SMUT AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! this story is rated M for a reason after all!**

Chapter Sixteen

Almost an hour later, everyone had given their blood samples to Dr. Jenner. Kylie sat in a chair not to far from where Daryl stood, her head spinning slightly from giving her blood to the doctor. It didn't help that no one had eaten at all that day.

Andrea was the last in the chair with Jacqui standing not to far from the still distraught blonde.

"What's the point?" Andrea asked. "If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever" she added.

"I've already broke every rule in the book by letting you in here" Jenner sighed. "Let me just at least be thorough" he said, as he finished taking Andrea's blood. "All done."

Kylie watched as Andrea stood from her seat and swayed a little bit. Obviously feeling lightheaded herself.

"Are you okay?" Jenner asked.

"She hasn't eaten in days" Jacqui told the doctor as she helped Andrea stand. "None of us have" she added.

Jenner seemed to think for a moment, as if battling with himself over his options. Kylie watched as he let out a sigh and stood.

"I have food, I'd be happy share" he said a moment later. Kylie's eyes brightened slightly as she looked down at Carl, who had a large smile on his young face.

"That would be very kind of you" Rick thanked the man.

"Follow me" Jenner told them, leading the group out of the room and into what appeared to be a small kitchen. "You can help yourselves" he said, walking over to the cabinet and pulling out a bottle of wine for himself.

Half an hour later, the group was having a simple spaghetti dinner. Kylie looked around the room from her spot at the counter and smiled. She couldn't help but compare the meal to a family dinner.

"You know in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner" Dale said through the laughter that filled the room as he handed a glass of red wine to Lori.

"France too" Kylie spoke up as she sipped her mixture of soda and whiskey.

"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then" Lori said before taking a sip of her own drink.

"What's it gunna hurt?" Rick smiled at his wife.

"Yea, come on, Aunt Lori" Kylie said. "It's not like we're letting him do a keg stand or anything" she joked, earning her a round of laughter from her friends and family. Finally Lori relented.

"There you are, young lad" Dale said as he handed Carl a glass.

Everyone was silent as they watched the boy take the cup with a smile and put it to his lips. Only to scrunch up his face.

"Ewww" Carl groaned, causing the adults to laugh once more.

"That's my boy. That's my boy" Lori smiled as she poured the remainder of Carl's wine into her own glass.

"Just stick to soda pop there, bud" Shane spot up. Kylie could tell that there were many thoughts running through the man's head. And she knew that it was only a matter of time before they came out.

"Not you, Glenn" Daryl addressed Kylie's friend.

"What?" Glenn was confused.

"Keep drinking little man. I wanna see how red your face can get" Daryl joked. "You too Ky" he adde,d glancing at the woma next to him.

"Already ahead of you" Kylie smiled as she raised her glass.

"You sure that's a good idea, Kylie?" Rick questioned her niece. "Remember the last time you went out to the bar?"

"Okay that was sooo not my fault" Kylie responded with a smile.

"What happened?" Glenn asked her after taking a large drink from his glass.

"Lots of whiskey. Very little clothing. Rick having to take me into the station. It was a mess" Kylie responded with a sigh. "I'd tell you in detail but... little ears" she smiled, nodding her head towards Carl and Sophia. Daryl just looked at her with a gleam in his eyes that she couldn't recognize.

"It seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly" Rick spoke up, standing as he rose his glass.

"He is more than just our host" T-Dog put in, raising his glass as well.

"Hell, he may just be my new best friend" Kylie smiled before looking down at her glass. "Sorry Jack" she joked.

"Hear hear!" Dale smiled.

"Here's to you doc. Booyah!" Came Daryl's input as he raised his bottle of Southern Comfort. Everyone laughed and thanked the doctor as their glasses clinked together.

"So when are you gunna tell us what happened here, doc?" Shane interrupted. "All the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened. Where are they?" he asked.

"We're celebrating, Shane" Rick stopped his friend. "We don't need to do this now."

"Woah, wait a second. This is why we're here, right? This was your move...supposed to find all the answers." Shane said calmly. "Instead we..we found him. Found one man, why?" he asked. Kylie wouldn't have blamed Jenner if he told Shane to shut up and enjoy his meal, but he didn't do that.

"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left" he started. "Went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted."

"Every last one?" Shane asked, satisfied to finally be getting answers.

"No," Jenner responded. "Many couldn't face walking out the door. They...opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time" he added.

"You didn't leave. Why?" Andrea asked. Kylie could admit that she was wondering the same thing.

"I just kept working" Jenner told her. "Hoping to do some good."

Everyone was silent at his words. Kylie frowned at her glass before finishing it off. Without saying a word, Daryl handed her the bottle of SoCo.

"Dude, you are such a buzzkill, man" Glenn spoke up, looking at Shane. His lazy words almost caused Kylie to choke on her drink.

The group finished finished their meals in almost silence. Those who spoke, talked quietly among themselves. Finally, when they were all finished eating their fill, Jenner lead them down yet another hallway.

"Most of the facility is powered down" Jenner told them. "including housing. So you have to make do here. The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you like. There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy" he paused before turning towards them. "Just don't plug in the video games, okay? Or anything that draws power" he asked Carl and Sophia, who nodded, before looking at the adults. "The same applies...if you shower, go easy on the hot water."

Everyone seemed to perk up at the last few words, Kylie included.

"Hot water?" Glenn asked with a smile when Jenner had walked away from them, allowing them to their own devices.

"That's what the man said" T-Dog said, and they both laughed. Quickly everyone claimed a room.

Daryl had decided that he would share with Kylie. Shane had tried protesting, but Rick reminded his friend that Kylie was a grown woman and could handle herself. Humming happily to herself, Kylie skipped into the room she would share with her friend and sorted through her bag for a clean change of clothes. She could barely contain her excitement as she waited for Daryl to be finished with his shower.

It didn't take long for them to relish the warm water and clean themselves. Soon enough, Kylie was exiting the bathroom wearing a tight white tank top and a pair of black and white short shorts.

"Well would you look at that" she mused when she saw Daryl lounging on the pullout couch. "Daryl's a magician!" she said happily as she jumped onto the bed next to him, taking the bottle of SoCo from his hands as she tucked her legs under her body. When Daryl noticed what she was wearing, his mouth went dry. "Mmm, it'll feel good to sleep in an actual bed" she moaned, handing the bottle back to him. Daryl just nodded, taking a swig from the bottle as she watched her. They were silent for a while before Daryl finally spoke up.

"So what was your uncle talking about earlier?" he asked her, Kylie bit her lip at the question.

" _Well_ ," she started. "I went out to the bar with the guys... had a bit more to drink than I probably should have. Jason thought that it would be a good idea to play truth or dare."

"An' you don't back down from a dare" Daryl smirked, causing Kylie to laugh.

"No I do not." she laughed, taking the bottle from him. "Anyways, so when it was my turn and I picked dare. Jason and Mikey went off for a few minutes and when they came back they dare me to give some random guy at the bar a strip tease."

"An' they called the cops on ya for that?" Daryl asked, Kylie just shook her head.

"No, we were always doing stuff like that at the bar. The only time the owner called the cops on us was if there was a fight" Kylie told him. "Anyways so after that we left and were just walking around, drunk off our asses. After a while, it was just me and Jason. We were kinda a _thing_ back then and couldn't keep our hands off each other. 'Specially when we had been drinking. So when we found ourselves in the back of a bowling alley, we kinda just went after each other. Someone must have spotted us, cuz the next thing I knew my Rick and Shane showed up and I was buck-ass naked and getting plowed by my not-so-boyfriend" she said, grabbing the bottle from him one more time, giving Daryl a good view down her shirt as she leaned forward.

He felt his pants tighten as he thought of the sight of her naked and he couldn't avert his eyes as he envisioned undressing her himself. From what Daryl had seen of the woman during their weeks of friendship, he knew that seeing Kylie wear nothing would not be disappointing.

With a small in-audible groan, Daryl reached forward and grabbed the bottle back from her.

"Bet that was a sight" he commented, unable to control himself as he let his eyes wander over her body.

"Mmm it was" Kylie giggled. She was quiet after that, biting her lip nervously as if unsure of what to do next. "W-Would you like to see?" she asked, causing Daryl to almost choke on the liquor. He studied her for a moment, trying to gauge whether she was serious or not.

"I wouldn't mind" Daryl told her, attempting to sound nonchalant as he placed the bottle on the bedside table. Silently, Kylie crawled off the bed and walked over so that she was standing in front of him, Daryl had even moved so that she was standing between his knees. Nervously, she bit her lip and toyed with the hem of her tank top before lifting it over her head. "Damn" he breathed as he took in the sight of her. "Fuckin' perfect" he groaned as he reached a hand out and gripped her hips.

Daryl was unable to control his actions as he pulled her closer and pressed his lips to hers. The initial contact made Kylie gasp in surprise before she kissed him back. When she felt his tongue swipe against she lower lips, Kylie allowed him entrance and held back a moan at the contact. Suddenly she felt Daryl's hands grip her hips firmly before she was lifted off the ground and placed on his lap.

"Damn Dixon" Kylie breathed when they finally pulled away for air. "If I had known kissing you felt like _that_ then I would have done it alot sooner." Daryl just smirked at her words before pulling her in for another kiss.

"Get those damn shorts off" he growled against her lips a minute later. At this point, he was through with waiting.

Kylie felt a warm shiver run down her spin at his gruff voice. Nodding numbly, she scrambled off his lap and turned her back to him. Slowly, she shimmied off the tight shorts and bent at the waist as she pulled them down her legs. Smirking, when she heard Daryl let out a loud groan at the sight of her bare ass.

When she turned around, Kylie saw that Daryl was already pulling off his own jeans and boxers. Biting her lip at the sight of the naked man, she climbed back onto his lap and kissed him deeply. She barely registered the fact that he had moved his hands from their place on her hips, his fingers finding a new destination.

Letting out a loud moan, Kylie broke away from the kiss and dropped her head to his shoulder when she felt his fingers deep inside of her.

"So fuckin' wet, Ky" Daryl moaned against her skin. Kylie just nodded her head numbly against his shoulder. Without speaking another word, Daryl flipped her over so that her back was firmly on the mattress. He kiss her deeply before positioning himself at her entrance. "You wanna do this?" he asked. Kylie didn't need to answer, instead she pulled him in for another kiss as he plunged deep inside of her.

Kylie moaned at the pressure, arching her back to him in pleasure. Daryl stilled for a moment, allowing her to get used to his size before he slowly began to thrust. At each movement Kylie let out louder and louder moans, biting her lips to try and stifle the noise. She could feel herself getting closer and closer to her climax.

"Fa-Faster, D-Daryl" she urged him with what little breath she had. Daryl groaned lowly at her reaction, and easily picked up his pace, enjoying the way her walls felt around his shaft. He felt himself getting closer and closer as her walls fluttered around him. They came hard and fast, both unable to move as their bodies numbed from the pleasure. "Holy fuck" Kylie breathed once Daryl rolled off of her. "We should do that again" she smiled as she rolled over on her side to face him.

Daryl looked at the woman next to him, and couldn't miss the ecstasy that danced in her blue eyes. With a smirk, he pulled her to him once more and kissed her deeply.

* * *

 **AN: so there's chapter sixteen! So Darlie (as was the decided shipname lol) finally went all the way! What will it mean for there friendship? Will they do as Kylie suggested and continue to fool around, or will they ignore it? Will they stay as close as they were at the Quarry, or will they fall apart? Well in the coming season we shall find out (mostly in s2, when i get to working on it, lol)**

 **coming up: no regrets, carl gets a lesson, Kylie's evil, and the group gets a wake up call. So come back next week. Only three more chapters to go!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: while this story is on a temporary hiatus i will be working on the following stories:**

 **Falling Inside the Black-Game of Thrones- Jon Snow/OC**

 **Shining Stars- The Vampire Diaries- Damon Salvatore/OC**

 **Devil's Choir-The Walking Dead- Daryl Dixon/OC**

 **The Silver Archer: The Beginning- Arrow- Roy Harper/OC (SHOT THROUGH THE HEART RE-WRITE)**

 **The Sweetest Sin- True Blood- Eric Northman/OC**

 **Animal Insticts- Hemlock Grove- Peter Rumancek/OC**

 **So keep a lookout for them! See you lovely people next week!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

When Kylie woke up the next morning she was warm and sore. Her arms were wrapped around something warm and muscular, as were were legs. Lazily Kylie opened one eye and looked at the form in the bed next to her. Daryl. As the events from the night before came rushing back at her, Kylie smiled and nuzzled closer to his bare chest with a sigh.

Kylie stayed in bed for the next hour, tracing her fingers lightly over the man's chest as she waited for him to wake up.

"Morning" she said softly when she heard him groan and saw his blue eyes flutter open.

"Morning" came Daryl's gruff, sleep filled response. Then they were silent as Daryl began to wake up further.

"So we had sex" Kylie broke the silence and Daryl looked over at her as she pulled away, her pink blanket covering her still naked form.

"You regret it?" Daryl asked her, causing Kylie to smile.

"I never regret anything" she told him before leaning over and giving him a chaste kiss. "In fact I would do it again if I wasn't sore as all hell and if I wasn't starving." And with that she climbed out of the bed and walked over to her bag and grabbed some clothes.

By the time she came out of the bathroom, Kylie was wearing a pair of tight, light colored skinny jeans and a mickey mouse crop top, along with her black boots. As she walked back into the room, Kylie saw that Daryl had also left the bed and gotten dressed. Without speaking, the two of them left their room and went down to the dining room to join the others for breakfast.

When she entered the kitchen, she saw that most everyone was already there. So instead of sitting by Daryl, Kylie decided to sit next to a very hungover Glenn.

"You okay there buddy?" she laughed at her friend.

"How are you not hungover?" Glenn asked her. "You drank way more than I did."

"Spent most nights at the bar or getting drunk at random campgrounds and stuff. I handle my booze pretty well" Kylie shrugged as she took the glass of orange juice from her aunt.

"What's hungover?" Carl asked them.

"It's what happens when you drink too much of that stuff we let you try last night" Kylie answered as she walked over to T-Dog, who was cooking up some bacon and eggs.

"Will dad be hungover?" Carl asked as he munched on his cereal.

"Most likely" Lori joked with a small smile.

"Morning" Kylie heard from the doorway, she turned and saw that it was her uncle.

"Morning" Lori and Kylie said at the same time.

"Are you hungover?" Carl asked his father. "Mom said you would be."

"Mom is right." Rick groaned as he sat next to his wife.

"Mom has that annoying habit" Lori joked as she picked at her bacon with a smile.

"Dad, Kylie said she doesn't get those anymore...is that true?" Carl asked after swallowing a gulp of orange juice.

"Sure is" Kylie answered for her uncle. "I used to be wild" she laughed as she returned to her spot next to Glenn, who had his head resting on his arms.

"Eggs. Powdered, but I do 'em good" T-Dog announced a she walked over to them with a skillet, Glenn just groaned. "I bet you can't tell. Protein helps the hangover" he added as he divided up the eggs.

"So does a greasy pork knuckle and sauerkraut sandwich on a dirty ashtray" Kylie said as she bit into her bacon.

"You are evil" Glenn groaned at his friend.

"I know, keeps me up at night sometimes" Kylie laughed.

"Where'd all this come from?" Rick asked as he held up a bottle of advil.

"Jenner" Lori responded. "He thought we could use it."

"Could you help me please?" he asked his wife as he handed her the bottle. Lori just nodded and opened it for him.

"Don't ever ever ever let me drink again" Glenn groaned down at his plate.

"We'll see, good buddy" Kylie smiled as she rubbed his back.

"Hey" Shane announced as he walked into the room.

"Hey" Rick greeted his best friend. "You feel as bad as I do?"

"Worse" was Shane's response and Kylie noticed that her aunt suddenly found her plate extremely interesting.

"What the hell happened to you?" T-Dog asked, glancing at Shane. "Your neck?"

"Must have done it in my sleep" Shane answered as he sat down. That's when Kylie noticed the long scratch marks running down his neck. With her eyebrows knit together, she glanced at Daryl, who just shrugged.

"Never seen you do that before" Rick said to his friend.

"Me neither" Kylie piped up.

"I know, it's not like me at all" Shane told them as he glanced in Lori's direction. Kylie knew right then that something had happened the night before while she was with Daryl.

"Morning" another voice sounded out into the room. Kylie turned and saw that it was Dr. Jenner walking passed them as they all said their 'good mornings'.

"Doc, I mean to slam you with questions first thing..." Shane trailed off.

"But you will anyway."

"We didn't come here for the eggs" Andrea informed the man.

Minutes later they were all making their way into the large circular room that they had been in the night before. Quietly, Jenner walked over to one of the computers and tapped a few of the keys.

"Give me a playback os TS-19" he spoke.

" _Playback os TS-19_ " came the robotic voice as images started appearing on the large screen that made up the wall.

"Few people ever got a chance to see this" Jenner told them. "Very few."

"Is that a brain?" Carl asked as the image finished loading.

"An extraordinary one" Jenner smiled at the boy. "Not that it matters in the end. Take us in for E.I.V."

" _Enhanced Internal View_." And then the image changed and all they could see was the inside of the brain. No longer seeing the face or bone structure. Instead Kylie saw small yellow and green lights.

"What are those lights?" Kylie asked from in between Daryl's arms.

"It's a person's life" Jenner told her. "Experiences, memories. It's everything. Somewhere in all that...organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you... the thing that makes you unique. And human."

"You don't make sense ever?" Daryl asked after switching up his position so that he had one arm wrapped around Kylie.

"Those are synapses" Jenner told him, using doctor jargon. "Electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says, does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death."

"I liked the pretty light version better" Kylie sighed as she leaned closer to Daryl.

"Death?" Rick stepped forward. "That's what this is, a vigil?"

"Yes" Jenner said quietly as he watched the lights on the screen. "Or r-rather the playback of the vigil."

"This person died?" Andrea asked. "Who?"

"Test Subject nineteen" was Jenners answer. Though Kylie didn't consider it much of one. "Someone who was bitten and infected...and volunteered to have us record the process."

"Weird" Kylie muttered, earning her a warning look from her uncle.

"Vi, scan forward to the first event" Jenner commanded the computer. And it did what it was told.

" _Scanning to first event_." Suddenly, Kylie saw darkness start to take over the lights. It spread out like the roots of a plant.

"What is that?" Glenn asked.

"I think it might be the infection" Kylie told him.

"It invades the brain like meningitis." Jenner spoke up. "The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shutdown, then the major organs." Suddenly the entire brain was dark. Not a single light peeking through. "Then death. Everything you ever were or ever will be...gone."

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked sadly.

"Yes" Carol told her daughter honestly. Suddenly, they heard Andrea sniffle slightly.

"She lost somebody two days ago" Lori informed Jenner. "Her sister."

"I lost somebody too" Jenner told the grieving blonde. "I know how devastating it is" he paused for a moment before turning away from Andrea. "Scan to the second event" he ordered the computer, which once again complied.

" _Scanning to second event_ "

"The resurrection times vary wildly" Jenner told them. "We had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard was eight hours. In the case of this patient, it was two hours, one minute...seven seconds."

As Kylie looked at the screen, she saw that the lights had reappeared. But they were different now. Instead of a warm white glow, they were dark red and only stayed in on spot at the base of the brain.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked.

"No, just the brain stem" Jenner answered. "Basically, it gets them up and moving."

"But they're not alive" Rick confirmed.

"You tell me."

"It's nothing like before" Rick started. "Most of that brain is dark..."

"Dark, lifeless, dead." Jenner said. "The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part. That doesn't come back. The you part. Just a...a shell. Driven by mindless instinct." Suddenly there was a flash of light across the screen, and a large tear through the brain.

"God, what was that?" Carol asked.

"He shot his patient in the head" Andrea answered for the doctor. "Didn't you?" But Jenner didn't answer Andrea's question.

"Vi, power down the main screen and the workstations" Jenner commanded.

" _powering down main screen and workstations_ " the computerized voice said as the large screen went dark.

"You have no idea what it is, do you?" Kylie asked, finally moving from her position in Daryl's arms.

"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic. Fungal" he answered.

"Or the wrath of god" Jacqui spoke up from her spot.

"There is that" the man said solemnly.

"Somebody must know something. Somebody, somewhere" Andrea said.

"There are others, right? Other facilities?" Carol asked. Jenner paused for a moment.

"There may be some. People like me."

"You don't know?" Kylie asked.

"How can you not know?" Rick stepped in.

"Everything went down." Jenner answered almost sadly. "Communications, directives... all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month."

"So it's just not here" Andrea clarified. "There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing?" Andrea asked. "That's what you're really saying, right?" There was a moment of silence.

"Man, I'm gunna get shit faced drunk. Again" Daryl said with a slight groan.

"I'll join you" Kylie said, sending a wink in his direction.

"Dr. Jenner. I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask you one more question, but...that clock...it's counting down. What happens at zero?" Dale asked. Jenner hesitated for a moment.

"The basement generators... they run out of fuel."

"And then?" Rick asked. But Jenner didn't answer.

"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" Kylie asked loudly, hoping that the computer would answer her.

" _When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination with occur_ " Kylie narrowed her eyes at the computers answer.

"Bring it on"

* * *

 **AN: omg guys I think I'm about to cry. We only have two more chapters after this one. Seriously, I never thought that I would even finish writing Season One, let alone getting it posted. I'm trying really hard to get my other stories written out so that I can start on season two.**

 **Oh also if anyone was wondering. I have another Walking Dead story coming out soon called Devils Choir. It is a Daryl/OC story, and starts off in S2. IT IS NOT THE SEQUEL TO IN THE END! Just in case there was any confusion. lol.**

 **Hey can you guys find the disney quote in this chapter? Let me know if you catch it!**

 **COMING UP: Kylie being adorable cuz she can, Daryl still unsure of where his only friend stands, Kylie looses her shit when Jenner decided everyone's fate. So stay tuned for the second to last chapter!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: How excited are you guys for this upcoming sunday?! I swear I'm internally freaking out a bit lol.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

While Rick, T-Dogg, Shane and Glenn went to check the generators, Kylie went back to the room she shared with Daryl and began organizing her bags. Making sure that everything was packed and ready to go, just in case they needed to leave the CDC. Just as she folding up her pink blanket, Daryl walked through the door with two bottles of booze.

"You got room for this?" he asked Kylie, shaking the bottle at her. With a grin Kylie nodded and took the bottle from him and put it in her Mickey Mouse bag. Then they were silent for a moment before Daryl spoke up again. "So you think we're gunna have to leave soon?"

"Yea" Kylie nodded. "I don't like that term. 'Decontamination' sounds sketchy to me" she shrugged. "Plus Jenner just kinda clammed up after all that, so yea I'm just making sure that we're ready to bounce if need be." Daryl just nodded in agreement as he sat on the couch and checked over his crossbow. And they were silent again.

"So you really don't regret what happened last night?" Daryl asked, not looking up from his weapon.

"Nope" Kylie smiled. "Honestly, I've wanted to get hot and sweaty with you since that first day in the woods" she added. Daryl went to answer here, but was interrupted by the room dimming.

"' _Emergency lighting on_ '" sounded the familiar computerized voice.

"Wonder what's going on?" Kylie asked, Daryl just shrugged and unscrewed the second bottle of SoCo that he had brought back to the room. Just as he did, the light whir of the air conditioning snapped off. "I'm gunna go see if the others are having the same problem in their rooms." she told Daryl, moving to leave the room and stopping just next to where he sat. "Be right back" she added, placing a light kiss on his lips. Before he could respond, Kylie was out the door.

"Hey, Kylie. Did the air go out in your room too?" Dale asked her once the young brunette appeared in the doorway to his room. Kylie just sighed and nodded. "Maybe Jenner will know what's going on" the man suggested.

"Not likely. Seems to me like he's not telling us a whole lot" Kylie shook her head. Then she left the room.

Slowly, Kylie made her way to each of the other rooms. Only to find the same results. The air conditioning was out, and the lights were going in the same direction. Before she made it back to her and Daryl's room, Kylie saw Dr. Jenner walking down the hallway.

"Why is the air off?" Lori asked when Jenner walked by them.

"And the lights in our rooms?" Carol added.

"What's going?" Daryl poked his head off. "Why is everything turning' off?"

"Energy use is being prioritized." Jenner told them as he snagged the bottle from Daryl.

"Air isn't a priority? And lights?" Dale asked, but Jenner just kept on walking as the lights finally flickered off.

"It's not up to me" he answered. "Zone 5 is shutting itself down."

"Hey!" Daryl called out as they followed Jenner, Kylie sticking close to Daryl. "Hey what the hell does that mean?!" Jenner just ignored him. "Hey man, I'm talking to you. What do you mean it's shutting itself down? How can a building do anything?"

"You'd be surprised" Jenner told him as they entered the large room once more. Just as they did, Rick and the others ran over to them.

"Rick?" Lori called out to her husband.

"Jenner, what's happening?" Rick asked, approaching the doctor.

"The system is dropping all non essential uses of power" Jenner answered. "It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule." he paused for a moment, keeping his back to the group as he took a swig from the bottle and handed it back to Daryl. "It was the French" he stated before walking up the stairs that led to the computers.

"What?" Kylie asked. "What was the french?"

"They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know" he told them. "While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs 'till the end. They thought they were close to a solution."

"What happened?" Jacqui asked softly.

"The same thing that's happening here" Jenner told her.

"At least he's answering our fucking questions now" Kylie grumbled, just loud enough for Daryl to hear.

"No power grid," Jenner continued. "Ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean how stupid is that?"

"Let me tell you..." Shane growled as he made to lunge at Jenner.

"To hell with it, Shane." Rick interrupted his friend. "I don't even care. Lori, grab our things. Everybody, grab your stuff. We're getting out of here now!" he ordered.

"You got it" Kylie nodded, thankful that she had already put everything in her bags. Just as everybody turned to go back to the rooms, an alarm sounded. "What the hell is that!" Kylie yelled.

"30 minutes to decontamination" the computer spoke.

"Doc, what's going' on here!?" Daryl yelled. But Jenner didn't answer.

"Everybody, ya'll heard Rick. Get your stuff and let's go. Go now!" Shane yelled. Just as they all made their way towards the door, the shutter came down. Locking them in. Kylie's eyes widened as she moved closer to Daryl and gripped his arm.

"Did you just lock us in?" Glenn asked, turning towards Jenner. "He just locked us in!"

Daryl looked down at Kylie, who wore a mask of fear. He shook her hand off of his arm lightly before rushing after Jenner.

"You son of a bitch, you locked us in here!" He yelled as he approached the doctor, causing Rick and Shane to go after him.

"Rick let him go. Jenner fucking deserves it! He trapped us in here!" Kylie yelled at her uncle.

"Jenner, open that door, now" Rick stated calmly once Shane and T-Dogg pulled Daryl away from Jenner.

"There's no point, everything top-side is locked down" Jenner said. "The emergency exits are sealed."

"Well, open the damn things" Daryl said, placing a calming arm around Kylie.

"That's not something I control. The computers do" was Jenner response. "I told you once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say that."

"Yea, we just thought you meant that you were too much of a pussy to face what was out there!" Kylie yelled angrily.

"Kylie, calm down!" Rick ordered his niece. Kylie just glared and moved away from Daryl to sit on the steps with her head in her hands.

She wasn't to sure of what any of the others had said next. She knew that there was a lot of yelling involved. But when the computer spoke once again.

"H.I.T's. High-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives consist of a two stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen at between 5,000 and 6,000 degrees and is useful when the greatest loss of life and damage to structure is desired."

"Holy shit, it sets the air on fire" Kylie said quietly, her heart beating loudly in her chest.

"No pain" Jenner said softly "An end to sorrow, grief...regret. Everything." Everyone was silent as his words sunk in.

Suddenly, a crashing sound was heard, and Kylie glanced towards the door to see a very angry Daryl.

"Open the damn door!"

"Out of my way"! Shane called out as he ran passed them with a fire ax, Daryl was tossed one as well and the two of them stood, slamming the blades against the steel shutter. Kylie watched as they worked, eyeing the large hunting knife that hung from Daryl's belt. She was vaguely aware of Jenner speaking to the group, asking Andrea her sisters name. Telling them that dying at the CDC would be more pleasant that dying on the road.

"Ky, go over there. Be with your family" Daryl told her, taking a break from trying to get the door open as Shane walked over to Rick. With a sigh, Kylie stood and walked over to the rest of the group. But not before Daryl placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Can't make a dent" Shane breathed heavily.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher" Jenner informed them.

"Well your head ain't!" Daryl shouted as, he too, joined them and tried going after Jenner once again.

"Kylie, get him to back up!" Rick yelled at his niece as everyone tried holding Daryl back.

"What the hell do I look like, the 'Daryl-Wrangler'? Damn" Kylie grumbled as she gripped Daryl's arm and walked back over to the door with him. "Besides. I don't give a flying fuck if he splits this psycho's fucking head in half!" she yelled behind her.

"You do want this" Jenner spoke to Rick. "Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead."

"What?" Kylie whispered, her blue eyes eyeing her uncle in shock.

"What? You really said that?" Shane asked. "After all your big talk?"

"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" Rick answered.

"There is no hope" Jenner spoke. "There never was."

"There's always hope" Kylie spoke up, causing Daryl and a few others to glance in her direction. "What, it's like the first thing Disney teaches you. There's always hope" she added with a shrug. But she was mostly ignored.

"Maybe it won't be you. Maybe not here. But somebody somewhere..." Rick trailed off.

"What part of 'everything is gone' do you not understand?" Andrea asked. Kylie wanted to make a snarky comment, but couldn't bring herself to do it this time around.

"Listen to your friend. She gets it" Jenner spoke. "This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event." Then there was a few minutes of silence.

"This isn't right" Carol said with a sob. "You can't just keep us here."

"One tiny moment...a millisecond. No pain"

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this" Carol cried.

"Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?" Jenner asked softly. Suddenly, they were met with the sound of a gun cocking.

"Shane, no!" Rick shouted, trying to stop his partner.

"Out of the way, Rick!" Shane said. "Stay out of my way. Open that door or I'm gunna blow your head off. Do you hear me!" Shane growled at the doctor loudly with his rifle pointed at the other man's head.

"Brother. Brother, this is not the way you do this" Rick said in an attempt to talk his friend down. "We will never get out of here."

"Shane, you listen to him" Lori ordered.

"He dies, we all...we all die!" Rick tried again. But instead Shane simply yelled, his finger tensed on the trigger. Then suddenly, he moved the gun away from Jenner and fired round after round at the computers. "Shane!" Rick yelled as he wrestled the gun away from the crazed man, jutting out the butt of the rifle to knock Shane over. "Are you done now? Are you done?" Rick asked as he stood over his partner.

"Yea I guess we all are" Shane said gravely from his spot on the ground. Silently, Rick moved away from Shane and handed the rifle to T-Dogg before looking around at the scared group, his eyes lingering on Lori for a moment before he turned back to Jenner.

"I think you're lying" Rick said calmly.

"What?"

"You're lying about no hope" Rick answered.

"He's right. If that were true, you'd have bolted with the rest. Or put a gun in your mouth before now" Kylie spoke up from her spot next to Daryl.

"But you didn't" Rick continued for his niece. "You chose the hard path. Why?"

"It doesn't matter" Jenner shook his head.

"It does matter" Rick told him. "It always matters. You stayed when the others ran. Why?"

"Not because I wanted to" Jenner said, finally standing from his seat. "I made a promise...to her" he added pointing at the screen. "My wife." Recognition played on everyone's face.

"Test subject nineteen was your wife?" Lori asked. As she spoke, Kylie was aware of Daryl's hand giving her shoulder a light squeeze before walking back over to the door.

"She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no?" he said. "She was dying. It should have been me on that table. I wouldn't have mattered to anybody. She was a loss to the world. Hell, she ran this place. I just worked here. In our field, she was an einstein...me? I'm just...Edwin Jenner. She could have done something about this. Not me."

"Your wife didn't have a choice." Rick spoke. "You do that's...That's all we want...A voice, a chance"

Kylie was vaguely aware of her aunt saying something, but as she walked over towards Daryl, she couldn't make out the words. Sniffing back her tears, Kylie leaned against the ramps railing and stood quietly, listening to Daryl's grunts as he slammed the axe into the shutters over and over again. Suddenly, the shutter lifted just as Daryl went to swing once more.

"Come on!" He called out, grabbing his crossbow from the ground before slinging it onto his back and grabbing Kylie's hand. Quickly, they ran through the corridors, making it back to the rooms to grab their belongings before running up the stairs. Kylie wasn't sure how far behind them that the others were. She just kept running, her bags in one hand and Daryl's hand in the other.

Once they reached the main entrance, Daryl let of of Kylie's hand to try and get the doors open. But nothing seemed to be working. As quick as she could, Kylie looped her gun and knife holsters around her waist before rushing over to a panel on the wall.

"Try it Daryl!" she called out as she pressed the button over and over again. But it didn't work. She watched as Shane and Daryl pounded at the glass with the fire axes, but the glass wouldn't budge. After T-Dogg tried smashing the doors with a chair, Shane fired a round into it. But nothing happened.

"The glass won't break?" Sophia's small, worried voice called out.

"Rick, I have something that might help" Carol said as she moved through her bags.

"Carol, I don't think a nail file's gunna do it" Shane said, causing Kylie to roll her eyes. But Carol ignored him.

"Your first morning at camp, when I washed your uniform I found this in your pocket" she said, pulling a small grenade from her purse, cradling it between her hands.

"Look out!" he called before running towards the doors. Everyone else ran to take cover as Rick pulled the pin and ran back to them. Even from under Daryl's arms, Kylie jumped at the sound of the grenade exploding. But it did the trick, the doors were open and they were free.

Without speaking, Daryl grabbed Kylie's had and they ran with the others out the doors. Walkers were in the area, but no more than they could handle. Finally releasing Daryl's hand, Kylie pulled her hot pink gun, flipped off the safety and began firing at the corpses while Daryl utilized his new fire axe.

When they finally fought their way back to the truck, Kylie tossed her bag into the passenger seat before climbing in and curling up on the floor boards. Daryl watched the building, and just before it went up in flames, he placed his body protectively over Kylie's.

"You okay?" he asked her, once he lifted himself from her. Kylie just nodded and pulled herself up onto the seat and moved her bag to the ground.

Looking out the window, she saw that the CDC was gone and was replaced by rubble and flames.

* * *

 **AN: HELLO MY LOVES! I can't believe we're last chapter. I feel like I misled you guys. I thought I had at least one more chapter to go. Turns out I didn't. Chapter Nineteen was an un-written document meant to be a filler between seasons. So I screwed up, I feel shame. :( And now it's over, and the hiatus you all are against begins. But just now when thing my friends, I WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON DARLIE! DARLIE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN AND WILL KEEP ON GOING.**

 **I have so many plans for Season Two, where Kylie and Daryl's relationship will really pick up. Then it will be nothing more than a rollercoaster ride for them. They won't have it easy. Though Kylie wants the hope and love Disney promised so many girls, she knows its not possible. Never has been, never will be.**

 **I will miss you all during this brief hiatus. Just know that I will be back. There's just so much I'm working on. Included in the list I have presented to all of you, I just recently started writing my first novel, along with helping my father write his own trilogy. Yes, apparently writing runs in the family, lol.**

 **See Ya Soon!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: Hey, did last night's premier confuse anyone else? All that jumping around, the black and white scenes. It kinda made the episode hard to follow. They've never done flashbacks in black and white before. It was still an amazing premier, though it was expected, lol.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

The C.D.C lay in ruins behind them as the caravan made it's way through Atlanta, looking for a safe spot for the night. Shane's voice had crackled through the C.B radio in Daryl's truck minutes ago, instructing the group. They were going to hunker down for the night before heading to Fort Benning. While they searched for a place that they could fortify for the night, the group also kept track of all of the places they could scavenge from.

Before Kylie knew it, she was gearing up to raid a sporting goods store with Daryl, Rick and Shane. Her large knife and gun strapped securely on her hip, while her large Mickey Mouse bag was slung over her shoulder. When Rick first noticed the store, Kylie jumped at the chance to join in the search, something Shane had tried to fight. Rick and Daryl both argued with the group's former leader, stating that Kylie was a grown woman and could handle herself.

As usual, Kylie stuck close to Daryl. It was quite obvious to the other group members that Kylie and Daryl had a bond. One that grew even stronger after their night at the C.D.C. They just didn't comment on it.

Rick had filled the others in on the plan, and allowed Daryl and Kylie to enter the store first as they were the only ones with silent weapons.

When they entered the building, Kylie noticed that a majority of the guns and ammo had been taken. But not all of the knives and other weapons. An observation that she had pointed out to Daryl.

Without saying a word, the two groups broke off to search the store. All four of them on high and Kylie found themselves in the archery section, stocking up on arrows, bolts and new string. Along with a few other miscellaneous objects, just in case. After doing a full sweep, Kylie and Daryl made their way back to the truck.

"Good haul?" Daryl asked when he noticed Kylie sifting through her bag. Smiling, the brunette nodded.

"Yea, hopefully we can get to a place with food soon," Kylie sighed, running a hand through her now loose hair. "I got a little bit of trail mix back there, but that won't be enough."

They waited for a few more minutes, Rick had already made his way out of the store with his own findings. Now they were just waiting on Shane.

Twenty more minutes past and still no sign of Rick's right hand. But there was a sign of something else. Walkers. And they were hot on the trail for food. That's when Kylie noticed Shane making his way down the sidewalk as if he didn't notice the walkers on his trail.

"Shane, pick up your fucking purse and run!" Kylie shouted out the window while Daryl honked the horn. Thankfully her uncle's best friend listened and barreled into the open door of the RV.

A minute later, after the caravan started moving again, a crackled sounded from the CB placed on the dash.

" _Lee, Daryl, you there?_ " came Rick's voice.

"Not if you don't say it right" Kylie grinned. She knew that her uncle was rolling his eyes.

" _Sheriff to Pixie Dust, come in_ " Rick sighed, causing Kylie to grin triumphantly.

"Much better, what's goin' on?" she asked.

" _We have some friends in the area. Some place safe, they should be able to take us in for a while_."

Silently, Kylie looked to Daryl who nodded his head.

"You know the place Rick's talking about?" Kylie asked her companion.

"Yea, nursin' home. The one that took Glenn hostage when we went lookin' for Merle." Daryl responded.

Turns out that the nursing home wasn't all that far away, and the caravan pulled up to the only unblocked entrance before filing out of their respective vehicles.

"Looks like they're barely hanging on" Andrea commented. "What makes you think they'll take in strangers?"

"With all the guns we gave 'em, they'll prolly through us a party" Daryl answered as they all walked through the narrow pathway. "Good call" he added, turning to Rick. "For once."

One after another, the group jumped from a small opening into what looked like a courtyard. Something was off.

"Where are the lookouts?" Glenn asked. Rounding a corner, they came across walkers.

"Son of a bitch" Shane grumbled. It didn't take long for the walkers to notice fresh meat in the area as they started to rise. Instantly, Kylie pulled her gun and flipped the safety off.

"To hell with the noise" Rick muttered as he advanced on the flesh-eaters and took the first shot, cuing the others to start firing. "Come on!" Rick shouted to Lori and the others. "On me!" and they followed frantically.

Kylie stuck to Daryl as they made their way through the empty halls of the nursing home. There was nothing there, except for bodies. Not even walkers, which was something both Kylie and Daryl made note of as the group made their way deeper into the nursing home.

Carl and Sophia were both whimpering at the sight of the bodies, Sophia more so, Daryl turned to tell her off but Kylie stepped up instead. Moving from her spot next to Daryl she went of to Carol and the little girl.

"Sophia, sweetie, we need to be quiet, okay?" Kylie whispered, the little girl nodded and closed her mouth tightly as to silence her cries. "Good girl" she whispered.

"Are we staying or going?" Lori asked her husband.

"We don't have the fuel" was Rick's reply.

"We hunker down for the night" Shane agreed "Me, You and Daryl will sweep the building and make sure we're alone. The rest of you, start barricading' them doors."

"Lee, stay here and look after everyone" Rick told his niece, Kylie just nodded in response as she placed a hand on Sophia's head.

"Stay safe guys" she whispered, her blue eyes meeting Daryl's briefly. She didn't like being left behind while the three men scouted ahead, but looking after Lori, Carol and the children was something she wouldn't pass up. Instantly they set to work, blocking the door with anything that they could find. Kylie kept the four she was charged with behind her while Andrea, Dale, T-Dog and Glen worked on the doors.

Kylie didn't know how long they waited in the room. But she knew that it's couldn't have been more than a half an hour. The doors were completely blocked, when suddenly they heard the sound of glass being crushed beneath shuffling feet. And the telltale groans of a walker.

Sophia had started whimpering again, clutching her doll tight to her chest. But when Kylie moved to soothe her again, she saw her little cousin Carl hushing the girl. Her hand held tightly in his own.

Silently, the group waited for the walker to move on. Kylie gripping her hunting knife tightly in her hand. Once the walker had finally left, Glenn and T-Dog led the group through the halls with Kylie bringing up the rear.

Moment's later, they found themselves in what was once a cafeteria. As soon as she stepped through the door, Kylie maneuvered her way around the rotting bodies and made her way over to Daryl.

"Upstairs is our best bet" Rick told them, "We cleared a few rooms, we can barricade them if we have to. We'll be alright."

"Do you mean it this time?" Carol asked for her spot with Sophia on her lap. "Or are you lying to us like all the times before?"

"That's unfair" Lori told the other woman.

"And no help all" Kylie spoke up. "Rick's not a damn psychic, he didn't know that Jenner was off the fucking deep end."

Everyone was silent. Quietly taking in the events of the past few days. They had been dealt heavy blows one after another. What they needed was time to regroup, to regain their heads and figure out the next course of action.

"What the hell happened?" Glenn asked, glancing around the room, taking in all of the dead bodies.

"What do you think? They got overrun" Came Andrea's less than helpful reply. Her words causing both Kylie and Daryl to scoff. "Something to say?" she asked the man.

"Yea, how about 'observant" Daryl answered.

"'Observant'? Big word from a guy like you. Three whole syllables" Andrea's retort caused Kylie to shift.

It was Glenn's hand that stopped her from getting in Andrea's face. As soon as her friend stopped her, Kylie took a calming breath.

"Walkers didn't do this, Andrea" she spoke. "Fucker's didn't show up until way later. After everyone was dead."

"Somebody attacked this place" Daryl continued, feeling a small amount of pride in the fact that Kylie had noticed the same things as he did. "Killed all these people and took whatever they wanted."

"They're all shot in the head. Execution style" Kylie explained, moving her head to simulate a gun against her temple. "Just cuz walkers are up and about lookin' for dinner. Doesn't mean that they're the big bad. People can be fifty thousand times worse than even the hungriest walker."

"Get a dictionary, look it up. 'Observant'" and with that, he shouldered his crossbow and walked out of the room.

"I need a smoke" Kylie grumbled before following after him.

They didn't need to speak as they sat on the stairs, both of them deciding to take the first watch while everyone else situated themselves upstairs in the rooms.

As the cigarette was passed between them, Kylie and Daryl sat and smoked in silence. There were things that the two of them needed to discuss, but they weren't as alone as they wanted or needed to be.

"Ain't like you to wanna fight with Blondie" Daryl spoke up after a while, Kylie just shrugged.

"She's been pissing me off ever since Amy" Kylie sighed, pulling her hair out of the elastic that was holding it back. "You know she wanted to kill herself at the C.D.C?" Daryl hummed in response as he passed their second cigarette back to her. "Her choice I guess, I just wish that..." she trailed off then with a scoff, exhaling smoke through aggravated lips.

Kylie didn't need to say anything more about the subject. Daryl knew where her thoughts were going. Ever since the first night they had spent together, after he had found her trying to sleep by the dying fire, Daryl knew that Kylie Grimes was a strong woman. He could honestly say that she was his best friend. Recent developments aside.

"Come on" he said a while later. "Let's go see if the others found somethin' to eat."

Smiling, Kylie took the hand he offered her and stood from the stairs to go and join the rest of the group.

* * *

 **AN:: GUYS I'M BACK! I'm so excited to be posting for this again, you have no idea! I miss you all, and I missed Kylie. So I took a slight break from some of my others stories so that I can finish up Season two of _'In The End_ ' and I'm almost there guys! I just have a few chapters of filler and then the second half of the season to go, then it's onward to season three! Which is super exciting!**

 **So how do you guys feel about this chapter? What do you guys think about the little spat between Darlie and Andrea?**

 **I wish that Kylie and Daryl had time to actually sit and figure out their relationship and stuff. But it's The Walking Dead, so it won't happen for a while, lol.**

 **Coming** **Up next on ' _In The End':_ Kylie gets new knife because Daryl's is gross, We see a little bit more of Kylie's soft spot of kids, we learn more about Kylie's opinion on a certain subject and a story is told. So come back next Sunday to see what happens!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

The room was shrouded in darkness, save for the small lantern Glenn had set up. Kylie could feel the fear of the group as soon as she stepped through the door. Just as Kylie sat in the chair that was placed near the door, with Daryl standing next to her, Shane and Rick stepped through the doors.

"They ransacked the kitchen" Shane spoke as soon as they were in the room, with a single can of food in his hand. "All we found is one can" he added, tossing the can to Daryl.

"They hit the dispensary too" Rick stated "Pulled the door off it's hinges. Took everything except this." Glancing over to her aunt, Kylie saw that the package Rick had given her was small dosages of cough medicine. And not the kind one could take recreationally.

"So we came back for cough drops and...garbanzo beans" Daryl drawled as he knelt on the floor so that he could open the can with his serrated hunting knife.

"Gimme" Kylie told him, putting her hand out for the can. Rolling his eyes, Daryl handed her the can. Just as she did, Kylie pulled out a shiny knew knife from her boot. At the questioning looks given to her by Daryl, her uncle and Shane, Kylie shrugged. "Picked it up at the sporting store we hit before coming here. Figured having a second one wouldn't hurt. Plus Daryl's is all gross and stuff" she added.

"Is there any water?" Sophia's little voice asked from under her mothers arm.

"Just the bottle I brought" Shane answered softly as he handed the bottle to Carol. "Just a few sips, alright sweetheart. Gotta go for everybody. alright?"

"I might have a bottle of juice or something from the C.D.C in my bag" Kylie said as she made quick work of the can and handed it to Glenn. "Little bit of trail mix too."

"Got anything else in there?" Andrea directed to Shane. As soon as she asked, Shane pulled a small bag of chips from his large bag.

"Courtesy of the C.D.C." he said, tossing the bag to Glenn "Thought I'd be havin' mid-night snacks in my air conditioned room. Didn't know it'd be dinner"

The group was silent as Glenn divvied up the beans, trail mix and and chips onto plates. With saying a word, Kylie grabbed a random plate from him and scooped a little more onto two more plates. Handing them to Sophia and Carl. And just as silently, she took a plate for Daryl and brought it over to him. Her actions didn't go unnoticed, however, as the parents of the two children nodded their thanks to her.

"Also..." Shane spoke up once more, diverting everyone's attention to him as he pulled a bottle of wine from the bag.

"Would you like to share?" Daryl asked through a mouth full of food, Kylie's head resting on his arm as they ate.

"Seeing as how I owe the both of you my life" was all Shane said before handing the bottle to Daryl. "So I'm gunna go head and... be nice to you."

"I do think I earned the first swallow" Daryl joked, handing his plate to Kylie before grabbing her new hunting knife to pop out the cork.

"Go easy on that stuff. Let's not forget where we are" Lori told them.

"Yes ma'am" Kylie smiled, picking at Daryl's plate.

"Ky you better be eatin' all of that that" Daryl spoke up, not even looking at the woman to next to him.

"yes'sir" she joked.

Everyone could hear the conversation between Dale and Andrea on the other side of the room. It wasn't as if Andrea was trying to silence her negativity. As the blonde woman spoke, Kylie's gaze snapped across the room before looking to the children.

"What's next?" Lori asked Rick as Dale lef the room to bring food out to T-Dogg who was on watch. "We need to decide."

"Fort Benning, Rick" Shane shrugged. Rick simply nodded his head.

"Fort Benning" Lori agreed.

"I shoulda listened to you, Shane" Rick told his friend. "Woulda save us a lot of grief if I had. Jacqui would still be alive."

"It was her choice, Rick" Kylie spoke up, finally putting the empty plates aside. "A poor and weak one, but her's none the less" she shrugged. Her words being more for Andrea. Kylie wanted her deceased friends sister to know how she felt about the choice that was almost made.

"She's right. It was her decision to make, not yours. No more than it was with Jim" Lori said in an attempt to soothe her husbands guilt.

"All these people..." Glenn finally spoke up. "Who would have done something like this? Just... come in here and murder everybody. Even all the old people, I... How sick is that?"

When Glenn had first told Kylie about the people who had kidnapped him and brought him to the nursing home, Kylie could tell that he had made a connection to the men and women who had resided behind the walls. And she could tell that he was heartbroken at the slaughter here.

"It would be better if we um... we get some sleep, huh?" Rick changed the subject, noticing the effect Glenn's words had on the children.

As everyone got ready for bed, Kylie joined, Rick, Daryl, Shane and Glenn out in the hall. Daryl, being the last one out, closed the door behind him before Shane spoke.

"Kids in there are terrified" Shane told Glenn. "And the women..."

"Guys I'm really sorry" Glenn said quietly.

"We're all rattled and exhausted. No one's thinking clearly, but we have to start. Our lives depend on it." No one disagreed with him.

"You're damn right" Shane nodded. "We can't ever let our guard down again" as he spoke the group of five moved to the stair well where Dale and T-Dog were sitting and the bottle was passed between them all. "Back at camp, having us a damn fish fry, no one on watch. People died, and they didn't need to..."

"Fort Benning," Rick told Dale and T-Dogg "That's the consensus."

"Anywhere but here" T-Dogg agreed, passing the bottle to Kylie.

"All the vehicles we have is a waste of fuel" Kylie threw in. "We should loose a few, siphon what we can from the ones we leave behind, that way we have enough gas to get us to the base. Or at least a safe distance from the city."

"That'll be a start" Shane nodded. "Let's just try and get a little shut eye tonight, okay?" Everyone nodded in agreement before Shane turned to T-dogg. "I'll spare you in an hour."

With that everyone, except for T-Dogg went back into the room with the rest of the group.

As she noticed everyone start to make themselves as comfortable as they could on the linoleum floor, Kylie bit her lip. She had gotten so used to spending most nights with Daryl in the safety of his tent, that she didn't know what to do. She knew that he wouldn't want to blatantly flaunt whatever was going on between them to the others, but a part of her didn't really care. That same part wanted to spend whatever time she had left right beside him.

So instead of distancing herself, Kylie propped herself up against a wall, not too far from where Daryl sat. She tried her hardest to sleep, but it seemed to escape her when she heard Carl try and tell Sophia a calming tale. Sighing, Kylie made stood and walked over to the two kids.

"Hey guys" she smiled softly. "Can't sleep?" she asked, both children shook their heads. Looking around, she noticed that they weren't the only ones. "How about I tell you two a story?" Kylie offered, causing her cousin and the little girl to smile.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Kylie" Dale smiled from his spot on the other side of the room. It wasn't until that moment that she noticed everyone's eyes on her.

"Okay. So there was once this beautiful young princess with hair the color of straw. Though she was beautiful, and had many suitors, she wasn't happy. Because, you see, the princess wasn't allowed to choose who she married. That was the choice of her father, the king..."

"Isn't it usually an evil queen or stepmother?" Shane interrupted.

"Not in my story, now hush" Kylie told the man. " Okay so even though each suitor was marrying material, they weren't who the princess wanted. You see there was a boy, many years ago, that she had met when her father was still a happy man."

"But I thought you said that the choice was the kings, and not the princess's?" Glenn asked.

"It is. The princess would have to choose a suitor, but he would have to be approved by the king fo anything to happen" Kylie smiled. "Anyways, day after day, the princess turned away man after man. None of them were the boy she had met and loved all those years ago. It wasn't until the last suitor had been turned away, that the king realized that his daughter was as unhappy as he was."

"But I thought he was evil?" Sophia's little voice asked, causing Kylie to smile at her.

"No, sweetie, the King wasn't evil, he was just sad" Kylie told the girl. "After the last suitor left," she continued "The princess locked herself away in her tower room, refusing to see any more. For years, she stayed locked away, refusing to marry. The king had begun to worry for his daughter. On the day of her sixteenth birthday, the king devised a plan. He would through a ball, an extravagant affair to announce that his daughter shall not marry, that she shall be the first queen to rule the kingdom. Without a king."

"What happens next, Lee?!" Carl asked excitedly.

"Well, after lots of begging from the King, the princess agreed to attend the party. There were people from all over the kingdom there. But the princess was just going through the motions. It wasn't until a man approached her for a dance, that the princess showed any true interest in the party. His short brown hair and sparkling blue eyes drew her in. It wasn't until he took her hand that she realized who this man was. It was the boy from so many years ago."

"The king found him!?" Sophia said with a smile.

"Of course he did" Kylie said before continuing the story. "They danced through the night. And when the party started to wind down, and the guest began their journey home, the Princess and the man walked through the moonlit gardens. 'Do you remember me?' he asked. 'Of course I do' was the princess's response. 'I've been waiting for you to come.'"

"Did they live happily ever after?" Sophia asked.

"Well obviously" Kylie rolled her eyes playfully. "Wouldn't be a fairy tale otherwise, now would it."

When she saw the children start to grow tired, Kylie stood from her spot on the floor next to them and made her way back to Daryl. Without speaking, the man reached into his bag, pulling out her large pink blanket. Smiling, Kylie rested her head on his shoulder as he spread it out over them, before shifting slightly so that he could wrap his arm around her shoulders.

Just like every other night that they shared, Kylie fell asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

 **AN: okay so the story that Kylie told Carl and Sophia was like really horrible and had a bajillion holes in it. But I was lazy, okay? I apologize. lol. Anyways, yay chapter twenty! I can't believer that we've already come this far you guys.**

 **Currently I have 27 chapters for ' _In The End_ ' written. Should be 28 by the end of the day. Hopefully I'll have the rest of season two written out by the holidays. You guys won't be disappointed in what I have planned. I promise!**

 **Coming Up Next on ' _In The End_ ': KYLIE GET'S KIDNAPPED! Reminiscing with the Grimes' family. More cuteness with Darlie. Kylie teaches Sophia a valuable lesson about strength. And the group is attacked. So stay tuned!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

The group rose early the next morning. Each stretching their sore limbs. After eating a small, meager breakfast, they got to work deciding which cars they were going to leave, and which ones they were going to take. In the end, it came down to Dale's R.V, Carol's Cherokee and Merle's old motorcycle.

After siphoning the gas from Shane's Jeep, T-Dogg's van and Daryl's truck, Kylie began going through the mechanics of each vehicle. Trying to see if there were parts she could strip that could help them on their journey. Some were useless, but she had managed to find a radiator hose from a nearby van that would work for the R.V, even if only temporarily.

It didn't take long for Kylie to fill the tanks of their three vehicles and with a smile she made her way over to Daryl and the motorcycle. Kylie was about to suggest to him that she get on the back of the bike with him, when two sets of little hands started tugging at her arms, dragging her towards the Cherokee.

"Your riding with us" Carl stated, using Kylie's usual stance and tone of voice to get his own way.

"Guys, there isn't enough room in the car, I'll just ride with Daryl" she told them. But the children weren't taking 'no' for an answer as they dragged her the rest of the way to Carol's car.

"Not riding with Daryl, Lee?" Rick asked his niece from the driver's seat.

"I've been kidnapped by the Lollipop Guild" she shrugged, sending playful glares at her little cousin and Sophia. Her comment made the three adults chuckle lightly.

Glancing at Daryl one last time, she saw him pulling on his black leather vest. One she had seen in his tent numerous times on laundry day. With a small smile, she told her family that she would be right back before heading over to where Daryl stood.

"You ridin' with your family?" Daryl asked as soon as she was close enough to him, Kylie just nodded.

"Yea, Carl decided to kidnap me" she said. " Want me to keep your bag in the Cherokee?" Kylie asked, nodding towards Daryl's worn-out duffel bag. Daryl just nodded before picking it up and handing it to her. They stood silently for a moment, neither one moving to leave. "See you next time we stop?"

"Yea" Daryl nodded, placing a small kiss on the top of her head. With a smile, Kylie lightly put her hand on his chest before turning and heading back to the Cherokee.

Before throwing Daryl's duffle into the back of the car, she quickly unzipped it and pulled out one of his many sleeveless button-ups and pulled it on over her blue tank top with the hem tucked behind her gun and knife. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Daryl or Rick.

Minutes later, Kylie heard the roar of the motorcycle and the small caravan was on it's way to Fort Benning.

As they drove, Kylie let the roar of Daryl's bike soothe her. Even though he was leading the group, and she was all the way in the back with her family.

She didn't know how long they had been driving for. All she knew was that they had left the city limits and were currently driving through the countryside. If death wasn't lurking around every corner, Kylie would probably take solace in the silence that hummed through the trees.

"Kylie?" Sophia's soft voice broke through the silence of the car. The woman just hummed in response. "What does your shirt say?"

"I'm a damsel, I'm in distress, I can handle this, have a nice day" Kylie smiled. "Just because we are women, doesn't mean that we can't stand up for ourselves. Doesn't mean that we aren't strong" she told the little girl.

"I remember" Rick started. "When you first came to live with us you were so... adamant that you make your own way."

"That's a nice way to put it" Kylie scoffed with a smile. "I was reckless and stupid, Rick, no need to sugar coat it" her remark caused both her aunt and uncle to laugh. "I wasn't a good kid," Kylie told Carol. "Mom died when I was young and dad worked a lot, so he was never home. I found some... well some people that lead me down the wrong path. But I came back, I moved in with Rick not too long before this rugrat was born. They tried helping me through school and getting a job but..."

"You wanted to prove that you didn't need help" Carol smiled softly. Kylie nodded.

"When Rick got the job at the Sheriff's department, I used to make all these jokes" Kylie started.

"Your go to's were always Toy Story" Rick laughed. "When Carl got older, he seemed to get a kick out of it."

"'There's a snake in my boot'" Carl laughed, causing the others in the car to laugh as well. There were silent for a while after that before Lori started smiling.

"I was just thinking about our trip to the Grand Canyon with Carl." As soon as the memory was brought up, both Kylie and Rick started to laugh.

"I don't remember that" Carl spoke up from his spot next to Kylie.

"You wouldn't, kiddo, you were just a baby" Kylie told him.

"Besides we never made it past Fort Worth" Lori told her son.

"No, you got sick" Knowing that his son needed more information about a trip he never remembered.

"God, I never knew a baby could throw up so much" Kylie laughed, ruffling her cousins short brown hair.

"Ick" the boy wrinkled his nose.

"Yea, ick." Lori agreed with a laugh. "The doctor in Texas said you'd live. The we turned around and drove home."

"That sucks" Carl responded.

"No, it was a good trip" Kylie smiled. "Granted it would have been fun to have actually made it to our destination. But the journey was all that mattered."

"Can we go see it?" Carl asked. "The Grand Canyon? I'd like to."

"I would too" Sophia agreed. "Can we go?"

"We'd never go without you and your mom" Rick assured the girl.

"We'd have to take Daryl too" Carl told his father, causing the man to glance back at his son through the rear-view mirror.

"And why's that?"

"Cuz Daryl likes Lee" the boy said.

"Does not, you little runt" Kylie grumbled while shoving her cousin playfully.

The car was silent once more. For a moment, Kylie closed her eyes and enjoyed the small breeze that rushed through the open window next to her. Discreetly, she shifted so that her nose was buried in her shoulder, inhaling the leftover scent in the shirt she had stolen from Daryl.

Though the two were friends, and they had sex at the C.D.C, Kylie didn't know where Daryl's feelings were at. Or her own for that matter. She knew that after the quarry, her strong feelings of friendship towards the man were shifting into something more.

She just didn't know if it was a good thing. Or something terribly wrong.

"How did you two get so close anyways?" Rick's voice asked, breaking Kylie out of her reverie.

"First night at camp, Kylie told the children her mermaid story. When Daryl mentioned that he hunted, Kylie wanted to learn," Lori was the one to answer. "When I told him that she wouldn't leave him alone until he agreed to teach her, I don't think he believed me. They've been attached by the hip ever since."

Rick seemed to accept his wife's answer, as he didn't press the issue any further. The drive was quiet after that. Kylie took the opportunity to close her eyes and get a little rest before they needed to stop to make camp for the night. But her nap was short lived when she felt the car slow, before stopping completely.

Finally more alert, she saw Daryl turn around to speak to Dale in the R.V, before circling around once more to lead the group slowly through the mess of cars on the highway.

"Jeez" Kylie whispered when she saw all of the abandoned, turned over and ransacked cars that littered the road. As they made their way through the path, there was a sudden crash and the sound of an engine sputtered, trying to keep itself working. "Shit" Kylie muttered, knowing that the quick fix she had applied to the R.V had finally given out.

Instantly, everyone started piling out of the cars. Kylie, with her hand on her knife, made her way over to the R.V to look under the hood.

"I said it, didn't I say it?" Dale spoke as he joined her. "A thousand times, dead in the water."

Kylie coughed as she opened up the front of the vehicle and waved away the smoke that billowed out. There was no way she could rig the engine to last longer. Not without a new hose. Sighing, she tied her brown locks into a tight pony tail before turning to the others for instructions.

"Problem Dale?" Shane asked as he joined Dale and Kylie at the front of the R.V.

"Oh, just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of..." the old man trailed off when he saw Daryl start to sift through the trunk of a nearby car. "Okay, that was dumb."

"Of you can't find a radiator hose here..." Shane trailed off.

"Whole bunch of stuff we can find" Daryl finished.

"We're probably running low on fuel" Kylie stated as she walked over to Daryl. " We can siphon some from these cars for a start."

"Maybe some water" Carol suggested. "Or food."

"This is a graveyard" Lori spoke up, causing everyone to look at her. "I don't know how I feel about this."

But no one seemed to share her unease as they all spread out and started looking through cars. Instead of sticking with Daryl, as she normally would, Kylie decided to stick with Carol and Sophia.

"Don't look kids" Kylie informed the two after glancing inside a car to see a rotting corpse. They seemed to listen as they kept on moving.

When they found a car that didn't have a dead body inside, Kylie instantly picked the lock and opened the doors. To her side, she could see Carol lift a pretty red blouse up from one of the forgotten bags and hold it up to her torso with a smile.

"Ed never let me where nice things like this" she started when Lori took notice. "We're gunna need clothes" she added after putting the shirt back and grabbing the entire bag.

"Hey Carl, always within my sight, okay?" Lori told her son as they moved on to the next car.

"You too Sophia" Carol agreed.

They continued looking through the cars in silence. Kylie didn't bother looking through the bags she found. Instead she just pulled them all out and set them to the side so that the group could look through them together.

"Lori!" Came Rick's hushed voice. Kylie wondered for a brief moment why her uncle would be speaking so quietly, considering they were the only ones on the highway. "Under the cars! Carl, Sophia, Lee, get down now!" he ordered.

Instantly, Carl followed his father's lead and ducked under a car. Thinking quickly, Kylie pulled Sophia under a car on Rick's other side. She had Sophia lay underneath the length of the vehicle while Kylie curled herself between the two front wheels. It didn't take long for the sound of groans and shuffling feet to reach her ears, causing her heart to pound in her chest.

As slow as she could, Kylie pulled her knife from it's holster. Her gaze snapped to the little girl beside her when she heard a small whimper. Wanting to stop the sound, Kylie reached over and put her free hand over the little girl's mouth and met her eye. Now was a time for silence.

It didn't take long before the sounds of the walkers grew louder and Kylie saw the stumbling feet pass by her and Sophia. As the corpses passed them, Kylie's blue eyes met Carols. Nodding her head, Kylie silently told the woman that her daughter was safe.

Hundreds of feet passed by them. Kylie's breathing came out in labored huffs. She was scared, for sure, but keeping the little girl silent was all she could focus on. Not her own fear. When the group of walkers seemed to slow, Kylie waited. The walkers weren't far enough away for them to move just yet.

Sophia, however, seemed to think it was safe as she looked around before climbing out from underneath the car. Just as Kylie suspected, there was a stray walker. Her heart pounded in her chest as the little girl screamed and moved to the other side of the car as the walker tried to reach for her. In an instant, Sophia was out from underneath the car and running off. Kylie cursed as the walker decided to follow her, before Kylie could shove her knife through it's head.

Two more followed and Kylie chased over them, with Rick hot on her heels. While Rick stumbled and fell down the incline that was on the other side of the guard rail, Kylie easily descend. Thanking her time with Daryl in the woods.

She helped her uncle stand before they continued running after Sophia. They easily caught sight of the terrified little girl, along with the two walkers that were following her. When Sophia tripped, Kylie ran faster, grabbing the little girl.

"Shh, sweetie, it's just me" she whispered. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Shoot them!" was Sophia's response after she noticed Rick's gun.

"We can't, those walkers on the road would hear it" he told her. "Then it wouldn't be just two, it'd be hundred" he added, lifting Sophia up into his arms before taking off into the trees with Kylie at his side.

When they made it to a murky river, Rick and Kylie jumped into the water before lifting Sophia down.

"Sophia," Rick said once they made it to a small alcove made of tree roots. "You have to do exactly as I say. Hide in there, squeeze in tight" he told her. "Kylie and I will draw them away from you."

"No. No don't leave me" the little girl whimpered.

"Listen, they don't get winded. I do. I can only deal with them one at a time. We wouldn't be able to protect you, this is how the three of us will survive, understand?" he asked, and Sophia nodded.

"I'll stay with her" Kylie said, holding Sophia close to her body. "Take my knife, I have a spare" she added, handing her uncle the black and green knife. After Rick took Kylie's knife, both females hide themselves behind the roots.

"Lee, if I don't make it back, run back to the highway as fast as you can" Kylie nodded as she pulled her second knife from her boot. After a moment or two, Rick started taunting the two walkers that were shuffling above the incline. "Come on you ugly son of a bitch" he said, splashing water at the hungry corpses. "Come on!"

Kylie kept Sophia silent as the walker's dropped into the water, instantly following after Rick. She could still hear Rick yelling to the walkers as he splashed through the water.

When Sophia started to creep out of her safe spot, Kylie climbed out behind her. Even though Rick had said to wait for him, Kylie wasn't letting the girl out of her sight.

"Just stay quiet, Sophia, okay?" Kylie told her in a whisper. Sophia nodded as they made their way through the brush.

They were almost home free when the sound of more footsteps sounded. Thinking quickly, Kylie turned Sophia in the opposite direction, moving to the sturdiest tree she could find.

"Sophia, get on up there while I take care of this, okay?" Kylie whispered. Sophia nodded and followed her direction. "Stay there till I get back, you hear?" Sophia nodded once more before Kylie walked off to the right of their trail.

There were four. Taking a steadying breath, Kylie began whistling loudly in order to gain their attention. They took the bait instantly and Kylie began walking backwards. Every few steps Kylie would look over her shoulder to mentally map out her path before turning her attention back to the walkers.

Kylie ended up leading them further away than she had originally planned. Looking away from the walkers for a moment to look at the sky, she saw that the sun had moved lower. She was going to loose the light before long and somewhere in the pit of her stomach, she knew that she wasn't getting back to the group any time soon.

* * *

 **AN: so there's chapter 21! First off I'd like to apologize for not posting yesterday, but from now on I'm gunna be posting on mondays (again). When I put _'In The End_ ' on hold I started posting my True Blood story, ' _The Sweetest Sin_ ' on mondays, but since THAT story is temporarily on hold I figured why not put ITE back on it's original posting day right? lol. **

**Anyways, so what did you guys think about this chapter? Personally I think 'I was kidnapped by the lollipop guild' is my favorite Kylie quote so far, lol. What about you guys, whats _your_ favorite Kylie quote or moment so far? I would love to know! Anyways, for the past few chapters I wanted to show a... a type of friendship between Kylie and Sophia, mostly because of the events of season two. That's why I had Kylie wear the shirt. The quote was meant for Carol and Sophia, so that they could know that they can be strong too. That they shouldn't let anything hold them back. How do you guys feel about the fact that Kylie seems to just...gravitate towards Daryl whenever they are close to each ****other? Honestly, That's something I didn't even notice until I read through this chapter, and I'm the one writing this! Lol.**

 **I like to think that the ending of this chapter (and the events to follow ;).) are different than most of the Daryl/OC stories on here. Instead of going off with Rick to take care of the walkers, Kylie stays with Sophia. Only to be separated from her.**

 **Okay so instead of giving away too much (which would ruin the surprise lol) I'm going to continue on to the 'coming up next' portion of this authors note.**

 **Coming up next on ' _In The End':_ Kylie Grimes is separated from her people. Honestly that's all I can really say without giving away too much. But I promise that You guys won't be disappointed. Or at least I hope not.**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: Did you guys see the new story cover thingie I made for Season 2? What do you guys think? I plan on making a new one for each season, hopefully. lol. personally I am in love with it, it's even the image for my lock screen lol**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

Kylie woke up with a groan. The sun shining mercilessly through her eyelids. Memories from her night alone in the woods flashed through her mind and with a small sniffle, she moved from her spot next to the tree. Falling asleep wasn't something she remembered doing.

She remembered leading the walkers away from Sophia, going further away from the little girl than she had meant to. Her head pounded from the spot where she had hit it on a rock when she stumbled and fell. But she didn't remember falling asleep.

With a sigh, Kylie stretched and tied her dirty hair back into a ponytail. Looking at the tree's surrounding her, Kylie realized one important thing. She had no clue where she was.

"Shit" she cursed as she turned around in circles, trying to gauge the direction she had come from the night before.

Instantly, Kylie looked at the ground, hoping to find her tracks. But they weren't there. Daryl did always say that she had a light step, that she rarely ever left tracks. Kylie cursed again before glancing at the tree's surrounding her.

"Fuck it" she swore, choosing a random direction and walking away.

The woods were silent. There were no walkers around, at least not yet, and Kylie was thankful for it. She was tired and after her night sitting against a tree, her body was screaming in pain.

So she walked. For hours Kylie trekked through the woods and still wasn't any closer to finding her people. By the time the sun was high in the sky, and Kylie had taken a short break to regain her bearings, she knew she was going the wrong way. Kylie had made sure that her tracks were clearer this time around, so that she could follow them back to her previous resting spot. But at the moment she was too exhausted to move.

There was no way she could hunt. Not with just her knife and pistol, which was running low on rounds. She cursed internally when her stomach gave a soft grumble. Looking around her, Kylie began gathering sticks and leaves. Anything she could find that would help her create a makeshift trap. After about an hour gathering everything that she needed, and another forty five minutes getting the trap set up, Kylie waited another hour before a rabbit stumbled into her flimsy contraption.

It wasn't much, and the rabbit was fairly thin. But after skinning it, and setting it over a small fire, Kylie was happy to have at least something in her stomach. Thanks to the rabbit meat, Kylie salivated just enough to soothe her dry mouth. She knew, however, that she needed to find water soon or she would die of dehydration.

Kylie looked to the sky as she walked. Judging by the direction the sun was in, she could tell that she was heading north. It was still hours before she would loose the light, so regardless of her heading, Kylie kept on walking.

There a faint 'pop' that rang through the trees, causing Kylie to stop in her tracks. It was the sound of a far away gunshot. Instead of investigating, as she would have done if she was still with her group, Kylie moved faster. Walkers would be drawn by the gunshot and she wasn't going to risk getting caught but another herd like on the highway.

Kylie made good time. She had gone quite a distance by the time the sun was setting. Using the same method as before, Kylie began locating sticks and leaves to build another trap. As she searched, Kylie nearly jumped for joy when she stumbled across a small stream. Instantly, Kylie placed the sticks she had gathered on the bank before pulling off her shoes and all but jumping into the cool water.

She knew that she probably should have gathered and boiled the water drinking it. But at the moment Kylie could care less. The water felt too good as she drank her fill. The only downside was that she had no way to bottle any and bring some with her for the rest of her journey.

With a sad sigh, Kylie climbed out of the water and back to her abandoned sticks. The search didn't take as long as the first time, and in less than an hour, Kylie had a small fire and was roasting two skinned and gutted squirrels. She had decided to stay close to the stream as the sun began to set so that she could drink and bathe as best as she could before she had to move on.

Though finding the group, finding her family was still a priority, Kylie knew that surviving came first. On her second night in the woods, Kylie knew that if she didn't survive. If she didn't fight, she would never see them again.

Sleep was scarce that night as Kylie fought off the paranoia. She knew that the moment she let her guard down would be the moment a walker would stumble upon her for a midnight snack. And that just would not do.

By the time the sun started to rise once more, Kylie was already awake and skinning her breakfast. She was tired and though she had washed the dirt and grime from her body, she was still filthy. The blood from her squirrel wasn't helping matters any, either.

As the small forest critter was cooking over the fire, Kylie gazed into flames. She was tired, hungry, thirsty and just plain exhausted. A part of her felt like just giving up, doing what Jenner said, doing what she was so strongly against. Opting out. But she knew that she couldn't. It was an act of the weak minded, something that Kylie most definitely was not.

"Just keep swimming, Ky" she muttered to herself as she bent her head back to rest against the tree behind her. "Just keep fucking swimming."

After she ate, and took a quick dip in the stream, Kylie was walking once more, keeping to the side of the water as best as she could. The more she walked, the more she was thankful that she had decided to wear her boots when they left Atlanta, instead of her converse.

Every once in awhile, Kylie would stop and make a quick snare and bring her kills with her. For once she was thankful for the litter that people had left behind in the woods. She had managed to find an abandoned rope and a dirt covered canteen. She had managed to string various squirrels, rabbits and other animals to the rope that now hung heavy over her shoulder, while the now full canteen dangled from her belt.

When the sun once again hung low in the sky, Kylie had managed to find an abandoned farm house. Quietly she dropped her string of game, and her canteen to the ground before pulling her knife from her boot, keeping it ready just in case she had company. She let out a sigh of relief when she only found one walker, trapped in one of the upstairs bedroom.

Kylie held her breath as she cracked the bedroom door open, just enough to shove the blade of her knife through the female walkers skull. It dropped just seconds later with an audible 'thud' and Kylie let out a shaky breath. After pulling her knife from the walkers forehead, Kylie made her way through the rest of the house. Just to make sure that the bedroom-walker was the only one.

Once she was satisfied with her state of isolation, Kylie began raiding each room for supplies. She didn't find much of anything that was useful. But what meager necessities she did find, Kylie planted into the small backback she had discovered. Her favorite of her gathered items was the half full carton of cigarettes, zippo and a large bottle of lighter fluid.

Instead of securing herself in one of the bedrooms, Kylie gathered all of the blankets she could find and spread them out in the kitchen pantry. It would be a tight fit, but it made her feel safe. After the blankets had been made into an almost comfortable bed, Kylie went back outside to grab her discarded canteen and string of food. Only to find that most of the game had been eaten by other carnivorous animals that had roamed by, leaving her with two small squirrels. She couldn't be mad, it wasn't as if she was the only one in the forest that needed to eat.

Slinging the rope back over her shoulder, Kylie grabbed a small bundle of nearby sticks and started building a fire just beyond the front steps. After skinning the squirrels and setting them over the fire went back inside for a moment to grab a small can of sardines from her bag, along with a pack of cigarettes.

When the sun fully set, Kylie curled up in her pantry-bed with a candle and a book she had found. Sleep didn't evade her that night, and as her eyes began to grow heavy Kylie snapped her book shut and blew out the candle.

* * *

 **AN: OMG GUYS I AM SOOOOOOOOO FREAKING SORRY FOR NOT POSTING! I know it's been, like, three weeks since the last time I posted a chapter, and I honestly cannot say how sorry I am. For the first two weeks I was really sick with some kind of stomach bug, and pretty much any and all energy had been drained from me. Then by the time I got better and was ready to post,my laptop decided that it wanted a dead battery that took ALL DAY to frigging charge. And it was all just immense bullshit, lol. BUT IM BACK NOW I PROMISE! So enough of my excuses lol.**

 **So, Kylie is all by her lonesome in the woods. Now I know that Daryl not finding her right away is not really believable, but I needed it to be that way so that Kylie can go through the character changes that she needs. I hope you all understand.**

 **Anyways, so in this chapter, we see/ hear a few familiar things. The gunshot and the farm house. It just shows how close Kylie is to the group. And I know that Ky getting lucky and finding supplies in the farm house, and even the rope and canteen is mildly unrealistic but hey it's a FANFICTION based on a FICTIONAL REALITY lol. And remember just because Kylie will get lucky a few times in her solo journey, doesn't mean that she won't have her hardships. And as a fair warning to you, my lovely readers, there WILL be a few time skips. But that's mostly because Im lazy and because I honestly can't think of much to do with Kylie's day-by-day without it being too...repetitive and annoying.**

 **Coming Up Next On ' _In The End':_ A time skip, Kylie's hope is dwindling, but she gets lucky. And she finds something that reminds her of one of her closest friends. I know it's not much, but if I said any more, there would be no point in reading the next chapter, lol. So come back next week and I PROMISE that there will be a new chapter waiting for you!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: find the Disney quote! Oh, and I'm almost done writing season two!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

It had been a long week for Kylie. Her muscles were sore from walking and sleeping in trees, her skin was covered with dirt, sweat and blood. But she kept on going. She had stumbled across a fair number of walkers, which were swiftly taken care of.

Though she hadn't given up hope that she would find her family, she had stopped actively looking. There was no trace of them any where. So she ventured through the trees by herself. It wasn't so bad, she just kept on telling herself that she was camping. That there weren't dead things trying to eat her.

But that peace was short lived the more time went on. The more she started telling herself the truth, the less like herself she became. Her once beloved Disney quotes were long from her mind as they no longer had the same calming effect that they used to. After the fifth day on her own, Kylie began doubting that her friends and family were still alive. If they were, surely Daryl would have been able to track her down. It wasn't as if she had been all that far away from the highway that first night.

On the seventh day, Kylie's boot covered feet hit pavement. A small town lay ahead of her. Abandoned cars, trash and walkers littered the street. Kylie moved silently, trying to keep the dead unaware of her presence.

With her knife out and at the ready, Kylie crouched low to the ground before moving from the cover of one to car to another. She winced when her foot crunched down on a small pile of dry leaves and broken glass. An act that caused several walkers to notice her.

"Fuck my life" she groaned, instantly shoving her knife through the nearest walker's skull before shoving the corpse into its companions as a slight distraction. As soon as they were deterred, Kylie took off running through the first door she could find.

It was a small two bedroom house with about five walkers inside. Kylie cursed once more as they noticed her presence. Heart pounding in her chest, Kylie ran into the bathroom and shut the door just as one of the walkers came close to grabbing her. Letting out a shaky breath, she pressed her back against the door and sank to the floor.

The bathroom was small, but it was stocked with barely used toiletries. Something Kylie was thankful for. As the banging on the door continued, Kylie devised a plan. Since there were only five walkers on the other side, she used the bathroom door as a shield and drew them in, taking them out one by one.

"Gross mother fucker" Kylie grumbled as she started dragging the bodies to the front door. Once the door was blocked by corpses, Kylie wandered through the house. She went to the bathroom first, shoving the still full shampoo and conditioner bottles into her bag along with a pack of razors. It seemed as if whoever had lived here had just gone shopping before the world went dark.

Moving on from the bathroom, Kylie made her way to the first bedroom. It was clear to her that women had lived there previously. And Kylie's heart soared at the prospect of getting out of her dirty, blood soaked clothes.

In the first bedroom, Kylie gathered a few pairs of pants, some t-shirts, socks and undergarments. She had also found a decent sized black duffle bag under the bed and instantly tossed her findings inside before moving on to the second bedroom. Placing the duffle bag on the large bed, Kylie moved to the dresser first and pulled out some long sleeve shirts. Winter was coming and Kylie needed all of the protection from the climate she could get. Once the shirts were inside her new bag, Kylie moved to the closet and her heart stopped.

Hanging on the door was a light pink Excalibur Vixen II crossbow. Complete with purple and pink arrows. Kylie's fingers twitched as she reached for the weapon. She thought of Daryl then. How he always had his bow with him, whether it was in his hands, strung across his back or resting on the ground beside him. It was always present as if it were part of him.

The crossbow and arrows joined her duffle bag and backpack on the bed. There was no way that Kylie was going to leave the pristine weapon behind.

Deciding that she was going to sleep in the second bedroom that night, Kylie shuffled through her new clothes. After pulling out a pair of black panties with a matching bra, she grabbed a pair of faded skinny jeans and a black long sleeved shirt before going back to the bathroom, hoping that there was running water. Even if it was cold.

Surprisingly, the water was warm and Kylie spent the next half hour scrubbing herself raw beneath the hot shower head. Her skin had turned pink, and was scented with the passion fruit soap she had found. She was finally clean after her week in the woods. The stream she had stumbled across helped. But not much.

As she stepped out of the shower stall, Kylie wrapped a towel around her body and twisted another one around her hair. Drying herself off, Kylie avoided looking in the mirror. Before the Turn, before she lost everyone and everything she knew and loved, Kylie wouldn't have cared what she looked like. But now she knew that if she caught her blue eyed reflection, she would see her new, cold exterior.

And that was something she wanted to avoid for as long as possible.

Kylie squeezed her hair dry in absolute silence before tying it back in a sloppy bun and drying off the rest of her body. Once dressed in her new, clean clothes, Kylie set to work. She needed to fortify the small house if she were going to stay. Even if it was just for one night.

She blocked off all entrances and exits, made sure the windows were covered properly, before raiding the cabinets for something to eat. There wasn't much, but Kylie managed to pair her leftover rabbit meat and some rice to make a decent meal. Whatever was left in the cabinets found it's way into her duffel bag.

The moment her food was done cooking, Kylie piled it all onto a plate and made her way back into the bedroom. Putting that plate down on the end-table, she pushed the dresser in front of the door and lit the few candles she had spread about the room so that she had enough light.

After days on the road with her group, and the week she had spent in the woods by herself, Kylie was finally starting to feel a sense of normality as she put her now empty plate aside and looked over the crossbow. Kylie could that the weapon was practically brand new. It was as if the woman who had previously owned it had taken it out to hunt once or twice before hanging it up in that closet.

Kylie went the the motions. Everything she had once seen Daryl do to maintain his weapon, Kylie copied from memory. The thought of her closest friend made her heart twinge and her eyes well up. She let out a shaky breath as she tried to fight back the tears.

She hadn't cried once in the past week and she wasn't going to start now.

For the next few hours, Kylie sat on the bed organizing her supplies. She had managed to separate everything perfectly, keeping most of her things in the duffelbag, while the backpack was stuffed with minimal supplies. Just in case she needed to leave the duffelbag. Once everything was where it needed to be, Kylie decided to scour the rest of the house. Not for supplies, but to appease her curiosity.

There wasn't much in the house that interested Kylie. Random cheap jewelry and other miscellaneous objects that were useless. She had found pictures of the two women who had once lived in the house and with a quick glance at the rotting bodies by the door, Kylie realized that she had put the homeowners out of their misery.

After a while of looking through the now useless objects in the house, Kylie managed to find a new pair of black fold-over combat boots and a black leather jacket that had a grey sweatshirt sewn into the interior. Both things Kylie had taken back into the bedroom with her, knowing that she would need something more than a long-sleeve shirt for the winter months. And old boots were all but destroyed from her days in the woods. She needed replacements.

When she finally made her way back into the bedroom, Kylie was finally starting to feel the exhaustion creep up on her. With a barely stifled yawn, she pulled back the thick comforter on the bed and curled up beneath it. Before she knew it, her eyes were drifting closed for her first real sleep since the C.D.C.

* * *

 **AN: So there's chapter twenty three! I know that some of you may be disappointed in the time lapse, but i don't feel like being redundant with the day-by-day lol. Anyways, how did you guys feel about this chapter? I know it seems like Ky is just getting super lucky with her finds, but I personally feel like if she wasn't lucky, she would be dead. So there's that lol. SO yea, Ky found herself a nifty little crossbow of her own. Do you guys think that the weapon will start to give her a sense of...idk _something?_ Something that sorta connects her to her group and to Daryl? I guess, idk lol.**

 **Okay so it was pointed out to me a while back that, basically, Kylie changes her clothes to often. My response to this is the fact that she was always in a place that was relatively safe. Places that would allow her to change her clothes every day since she was safe. But now that she's pretty much in a situation where she needs to move at a moments notice, she'll be changing a lot less, I promise. And another thing, which honestly sort of aggravated me, was people complaining about the whole 'heart of a child' thing. Kylie Grimes is twenty nine years old, but she tends to be more playful and almost child like in nature. Eventually I will be giving an actual reason behind this, but for now...stop complaining. It is what it is. She is not a child, she just knows how to relate to one and how to have fun.**

 **Coming Up Next On _'In The End_ ': Kylie tests out her new crossbow, we learn a little more about her connection and friendship with the Dixon's, and there's trouble in the quiet town Kylie has decided to call home for the time being. So come back next week!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

The next morning was a lazy affair for Kylie. As she lay in the plush queen sized bed, she made mental plans of everything that needed to be done. First on the list, after breakfast, was going out into the woods to try out her new crossbow.

After enjoying a few minutes in her new bed, Kylie finally pushed back the covers and began getting ready for her day. It felt nice to finally be able to change out of the previous days outfit and into a fresh pair of faded flared jeans and a light blue long sleeve shirt. Along with her new boots and Daryl's bloody sleeveless shirt. She was never going anywhere without it.

It wasn't cold enough to don her new leather jacket quite yet, so Kylie left it behind. Once she was dressed and ready, Kylie stashed her duffle bag in the hall closet before shouldering her backpack and crossbow. Giving her new temporary home a once over, Kylie went out the back door with her knife in front of her, just in case.

She was met with very little resistance as she crept through the streets. Sure there were a few walkers mulling about, but she was able to take out the ones that were closest to her, without disturbing the others. Silently she reached the tree line and instantly holstered her knife and pulled her crossbow off of her shoulder. It was already loaded and the arrow was ready to fly. Kylie just hoped that after weeks of not using a crossbow, that she would still remember how.

A part of her felt nostalgic as she tromped through the woods. She was instantly brought back to the days when Daryl was first teaching her how to hunt. How he told that if he was going to teach her something, he was going to do it right. And he started with the crossbow. Merle had once teased them mercilessly, telling them that if they weren't screwing in the woods, then they were doing something wrong. Kylie chuckled at the memory. If only Merle knew.

Even though Daryl had tried his best to keep Kylie away from him, she had still forged a slight bond with his older brother. The two had an understanding. At the time it seemed as if Merle had known something about her and Daryl's friendship that even they didn't know.

But it wasn't as if she could ask him now.

Shaking the thoughts of the Dixon brothers from her head, Kylie breathed and took aim at a large bird that was perched in the tree. During her days in the woods, building make-shift traps, Kylie tending to stay away from birds and larger game. Since it was just her, there was no need for her to try and tag a deer. The meat would spoil before she could eat it all, so it would be a waste.

When the bird, which turned out to be an owl, hit the ground Kylie let out a sigh of relief. After grabbing the owl, Kylie tied it to the rope hanging from her backpack and reloaded her bow.

For a few more hours, Kylie moved through the trees, making sure to not stay too far away from the road. She stopped for a while to enjoy a small lunch of squirrel and canned green beans before moving on. It was a couple of hours before sundown, so Kylie sat herself down on the ground and got to work dressing her game. Keeping the skin and entrails far away from her home. She didn't need the dead to sniff out the blood.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Kylie packed the squirrel, owl and rabbit meat away into the Tupperware containers she had found. She had enough kills to last her another day, so she wouldn't have to come back out into the woods for a little while. Instead she planned on scouting around the small town for whatever other supplies she would need.

No part of her wanted to move on from the cozy town. It seemed ideal. She had a roof over her head, prefect hunting ground just beyond her backyard. And there were very little walkers in the area. That was was always a plus.

Once back at the house, Kylie re-secured the doors and went into the kitchen to cook her dinner. Picking at the owl meat and corn, Kylie made her way to 'her' bedroom and sat on the bed. She had found a few books in the house, so as she eat her food, Kylie flipped through the pages. It was a romance novel, something she had enjoyed once upon a time. But somehow the words had lost their spark.

The man in the book reminded her too much of Daryl. And the woman, too little of herself. But still, Kylie read long into the night. Just to keep her mind off of the fate of her friends, her family and the man who meant so much more to her than she had initially thought.

After the last page was read, Kylie snapped the book shut and tossed it to the floor. Running her hands over her tired face, Kylie stood and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a tank top before heading to the bathroom. Making sure to take the candle on the bedside table with her.

Just as it did the day before, the warm water soothed her sore muscles and helped to calm the woman's nerves. Kylie sighed happily when she stepped out fo the shower stall and started pulling on her clothes.

She went to sleep a lot later than she had initially planned that night. But she really didn't care.

* * *

She didn't bother picking out a new outfit the next morning, opting to wear the same clothes as the day before as she tip-toed through the small town. There wasn't much to scavenge, Kylie noticed. It seemed as if a handful of people had already come through and picked through all of the things they deemed 'useful.'

Most of those people had never left the places they raided. Leaving her to deal with the walker-versions of the townspeople. It didn't surprise her, really, she knew that there were some that didn't believe that the walker-epidemic was a real thing. But it was, and they had all suffered because of it.

Kylie didn't pick through many of the stores. Only the pharmacy, where she found a small amount of meds, and the sporting goods store where she replaced her old rope with para-cord and got herself a new machete and some spare arrows and arrowheads.

As she searched, Kylie kept her crossbow ready for attack. She wasn't expecting one, but better safe than sorry. After gathering some ammo for her hot pink gun and a few arrow-shafts, Kylie made her way back to the front of the store. But she was stopped short by the sound of the bell on the door jingling. Telling Kylie that she wasn't alone.

* * *

 **AN: uh-oh Kylie's not alone! What do you guys think is gunna happen next, is the newcomer friend or foe?**

 **So did did you guys feel about this chapter? I mean I know it was mostly filler, but it was nice to kinda see into Kylie's head a bit more, right? I got about halfway through this chapter when I realized that I sorta screwed with the hours of the day, lol. But lets pretend that Kylie just spent a few hours walking through the woods and stuff, kay?**

 **Also how do you guys feel about her using the crossbow, and the small little tidbit you found out about Kylie and Merle sort of being friends? I mean I know I never really wrote that in Season 1, but I was hit by the idea fairy for some stuff later on in the series, and I needed Kylie and Merle to have a pre-defined almost friendship for it to work soooooo yea lol.**

 **OMG GUYS! I'M ALMOST DONE WRITING SEASON TWO! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! I am sooo friggin excited, I never though I would get this far into the story, and it's all thanks to you, my lovely readers. If it weren't for you, and your reviews and your devotion to this story, I probably would have given up before I even finished the first season. SO THANK YOU ALL!**

 **Currently I'm working on chapter 29 and i'm hoping that season 2 will bring ' _In The End_ ' up to the 40 chapter mark, so fingers crossed! lol.**

 **Coming Up Next On ' _In The End_ ': Kylie does something she never thought she'd have to do, and it changes her for ever...or at least for a while. I wish I could tell you guys more, but then it would ruin it. So come back next week to see what happens! Happy reading!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

Kylie held her breath as she waited for the new comer to make themselves known. She knew that whomever had come inside the store wasn't a walker. Walkers couldn't open doors. She didn't want to know who was in the store with her. Avoiding people had been an unspoken rule. It was unspoken because for the past week the only company Kylie had was the animals she hunted and the walkers.

A small part of her wanted to announce herself to the new arrival. Let them know that she had already cleared out the dead from this particular store. But the sick twisting in her gut told her not to. So she moved quietly, keeping her footsteps light and her breathing shallow. She needed to get out of there alive. Anything else wasn't an option.

A few silent minutes later, Kylie was back out on the street. Cautiously she looked around, making sure that she was truly alone. Her heartbeat sped up when she saw two unfamiliar cars parked in front of the neighboring store.

"Fuck" she whispered before starting to move. It was obvious that there was more than just one person, meaning that she was greatly out numbered. No matter how good of a shot she was.

Kylie didn't know if the people who 'owned' the cars had noticed her or not. She didn't know if they were friendly or not. But she played it safe anyway. Moving silently between abandoned cars before making her way back into the already ransacked pharmacy.

She walked through the door crossbow first, just in case. Though Kylie had already cleared the pharmacy, anything could have wandered in during the time she was in the sporting goods store.

Even though she was poised and ready to fire in less than a second, Kylie was caught off guard by a large hand slapping her bow to the floor. With a light gasp, Kylie scrambled to unholster her gun. Just as she got it from her belt, two arms coiled around her torso, pinning her arms to her side.

"Well what do we have here, boys?!" a raspy voice sounded from the man holding her. Instantly Kylie's heart started beating harder in her chest. Her breathing hitched and she knew that whatever happened next wasn't going to be good.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" asked a second man. But Kylie didn't answer. Her palm was sweating, the moisture causing her finger to slip slightly on the trigger.

"Hey, girlie, my friend asked you a question!" the man holding her yelled as he squeezed her torso tightly.

"A-Aurora Snow" Kylie lied.

"There, now, that's better, sweetheart" the second man said. "Tony would love this one, Mack" he told the man holding her.

"Yea" 'Mack' nodded. "He been pissin' an' moanin' bout not get a good piece in a while."

Kylie felt the bile rise up in her throat. It was obvious what these men wanted to use her for. Quickly she tried to think of a way out of the mess she found herself in. Each plan, so far, ended up with her dead. And she didn't want that.

Resigned to her fate, Kylie took a steadying breath. Before she could mentally talk herself out of it, Kylie raised her gun hand and squeezed the trigger just below Mack's chin.

"You crazy b..." but the second man, whose name Kylie never learned, was instantly silenced by a bullet in his forehead.

Kylie looked around, trying to find the third man, but he had already ran off. From what she could tell he was young maybe about twenty with dark hair. Once she knew she was alone, Kylie grabbed her crossbow and backpack before running out of the pharmacy.

She took the back way to her house. Her heart pounding in her ears, which were ringing from the gunshot. Her nerves tingling at what she had just done. As soon as she re-blocked the back door of the house, using the couch, Kylie grabbed her pajamas and went straight in the bathroom to take a shower. To get Mack's blood off of her.

It wasn't until she had stripped down and was standing under the warm spray that everything hit her. Tears mixed with blood and water before spiraling down the drain. Her sobs muffled by her shaking hands as she fell to the floor of the shower stall.

After her skin was scrubbed raw, and her sobbing had ceased for the time being, Kylie stepped from the shower to pull on her pajamas. It was then that she saw how blood soaked Daryl's sleeveless was, and that brought on a fresh wave of tears.

What would Daryl think about what she had done? Would her family be disgusted? Rick had once said, many week ago, that they didn't kill the living. But what if the living wanted to kill them. Or worse? Would pulling the trigger in self defense be frowned upon, or would it be praised.

A part of her hoped that her friends and family wouldn't care. That they would be happy that she was just alive and fairly untouched. But the new, cynical part of Kylie's mind, was telling her that they would all turn their backs. Leave her in the dust.

Letting out a shaky breath, Kylie brought her blood-stained shirts to the kitchen sink. She filled the basin with warm water and soap, her fingers were still shaking as she let the fabric soak.

Knowing that the stains wouldn't come out completely, Kylie left her shirts in the sink to soak over night before going back to her room. There were still a few hours until sunset, and she still hadn't eaten, but Kylie didn't care. The images of the two dead men haunted her, she knew that keeping down any food would be impossible.

Instead Kylie curled up beneath her blankets, her hand gripping the handle of her knife, before her eyes finally fluttered shut. Falling into an uneasy sleep.

 **AN: So I wasn't really planning on posting today, like at all. But I really wanted you guys to have this chapter. You will still be getting a chapter tomorrow, and this may or may not be a regular thing. Depending on how many chapters I get written out between now and the future lol.**

 **Kylie has done something that she believes her family and friends would never forgive her for. But we as the viewers know that Rick and Daryl (mostly) wouldn't care about her killing two guys that wanted to rape her. But since Kylie is not us, and she isn't with her family, she doesn't see that. She has honestly reached her breaking point right now, and it's kinda brought her into an even darker mentality. I originally wanted to have Kylie avoid killing the living, but it was necessary that she undergoes a character change. So putting her in that position was unavoidable after a while.**

 **Oh, also, what did you guys think about Kylie's alias? You see what I did there? tee-hee**

 **I'm not even going to ask you guys if you all think she was justified in killing those men. They were going to do unforgivable things to her, and leave her for dead. She had no choice.**

 **But anyways, can you guys guess what group those men belonged too? Can you guess who the third man was, even though we only saw a glimpse of him? It's pretty obvious if you ask me, lol.**

 **Coming Up Next On ' _In The End':_ Kylie falls into a sort of depression and after a mild time skip, our girl decides to finally move on from the town. She gets herself a new car while preparing to leave, and we see a familiar face. So come back tomorrow to see what happens!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: GUYS I ONLY HAVE FOUR EPISODES LEFT TO WRITE FOR SEASON TWO! HOW FRIGGIN EPIC IS THAT! I have soooooo much planned for season three already, and when we finally get to that point of In The End, I really hope you're not disappointed!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Kylie didn't leave the house much after the incident in the pharmacy. Though she told herself that they wanted to horrible, unspeakable things to her, Kylie couldn't help but feel the weight settle on her shoulders. Taking human life was against everything she once was, and Kylie could slowly feel herself being taken by this new, cold world.

For almost an entire week, Kylie stayed at the house. Never venturing farther than the backyard. From the doorway she would scan the backyard and shoot down any prey that stumbled across her path. Everyday she would scan the streets from the windows of the living room, just to make sure that the town was void of human life. She didn't want any pharmacy repeats.

Her already sensitive psyche couldn't handle it.

She had stopped thinking about Rick and the others after that first night, after she had scrubbed the blood from her skin. Thinking about the people she would never see again hurt too much. Thinking about how disappointed they would be in her damn near killed her.

A week later there was still a slight ringing in her ear from the gunshots. When she slept at night, she still saw the look in their eyes, the sounds of their bodies hitting the floor. In her dreams they came back as walkers, devouring everyone who ever meant anything to her and saving her for last. Having to watch Carl, Sophia and Daryl die over and over again, night after night, destroyed her even further.

After being away from her group, her friends and family for almost a full month, a strong depression had settled itself around Kylie's heart. The optimistic side of her knew that they were all okay and still alive, that they had already found Sophia and were all living. But the other part of her. The part that had given into her depression believed that they were all dead and were wandering around the countryside as walkers. And that's the part that was slowly winning out.

Slowly, Kylie was starting to gather everything she needed in the house. Her bags were perpetually packed, the duffle had found itself hidden underneath the back seat of a white and turquoise Ford Bronco. She had lucked out when she had found the 4x4, it was in almost mint condition with half a tank of gas. After she jimmied the truck unlocked, she found a spare key hidden beneath the steering wheel.

The day before she planned to leave, Kylie prepared herself mentally. She planned on doing a small circuit down the street to grab any supplies she had previously looked over. Steering clear of the pharmacy, Kylie moved from store to store. Though she didn't find much, it was still enough to last her a few days before having to scavenge some more. On her way back to the house, Kylie faltered in front of an old bar.

Deciding she needed something for the nights it got too quiet, for the nights she was too stuck inside her own head, Kylie knelt in front of the door and began to pick the lock. Once she heard the 'click', Kylie pulled her crossbow from her back and ventured inside. There were only two walkers, and once they were easily dispatched Kylie placed her bow onto the counter before scouring the shelves.

Her breath caught in her throat when she heard the jingle of the bell above the door. Instantly, her hand retreated from the bottle of whisky she was reaching for and went for her gun.

"Who're you?" she growled when she saw an old man walk through the door, her gun still aimed at the man's head. He didn't answer however. Instead, he sat at the bar and put his head in his hands. With her eyebrows knit together, Kylie holstered her weapon. "What's your name?" she asked, finding it odd to be using her voice.

"Hershel" was his one word reply. Kylie could tell that the old man was trying not to break down in front of her.

"Well, Hershel, my name is Kylie" the woman forced a smile before turning back to the shelf and grabbing the bottle of whisky. Without speaking, Kylie grabbed two glasses from under the bar and poured them both a drink.

The old man stared at the glass before downing it all in one gulp. Kylie could tell that the man had been dealt a heavy blow recently. Biting her lip, Kylie swirled the alcohol around in it's glass. She had become so unused to interacting with people, she didn't know where to start.

"So, wanna tell me what troubles you?" She asked. "You know, since I'm playing bartender and all?" Kylie added, keeping her forced smile on her lips. Hershel just sighed and motioned to the bottle. Kylie obliged and poured more into his glass. He took the drink slow this time.

"I didn't know..." he said sadly. Kylie was lost. What didn't this man know? What had led him to the bar with no back up or protection? She decided that it wouldn't be wise to push the issue.

"Well, whatever it was, you know now" she shrugged. They were silent for a while before Kylie sighed and downed her drink. "You know, it's been a while since I did this whole 'bartender-therapy' thing..." her words caused Hershel to look up with sad eyes and a watery smile.

"You're doing a fantastic job, my dear."

Again silence filled the bar. Kylie shifted almost uncomfortably behind the counter, before placing the bottle in front of the man. A part of her wanted to grab her things and run. But she decided to stay. There was something about this sad old man that reminded her of her grandfather and in turn of her uncle. She couldn't, in good conscience, leave him to himself.

"I'm, um, I'm gunna check the back" she stammered, running a hand through her growing hair. "Make sure it's safe to be letting our guard down." Without waiting for a response, Kylie grabbed her crossbow from the counter and walked to the back of the bar.

When Kylie heard voices coming from the front a few minutes later, she lifted her crossbow in front of her before skulking back to where she had left Hershel. Her breath steady in her chest as she geared up to take care of the possible threat. Kylie thought she recognized the voices of the newcomers, but she couldn't be sure. Not with her hearing messed up from the attack on the pharmacy.

She froze when she saw who was standing with Hershel. Her heart nearly stopped beating and tears welled up in her blue eyes.

"Kylie?"

 **-AN: As promised, here is the second chapter for this week. Like I said yesterday, I'm going to do the best I can to get you guys two chapters every week. Hopefully I can :) Oh just so you guys know, this chapter officially marks the return to the shows story line, so yay! lol**

 **So yea, the events of the last chapter are definitely weighing heavily on Kylie's mind. The first human interaction she's had in almost a month and it goes sour. She knows that the likely hood of finding Daryl and the others is slim, so our girl gets herself a bad ass new ride and is preparing to move on. I gave Kylie a Bronco because it's one of my own personal favorites. I _was_ gunna give her an older muscle car because that's what I am always drawn too, but with the Bronco, I was thinking about future chapters. Lots of storage space. So yea. :)**

 **Like I said, we see a familiar face in this chapter. I sort of fought with myself on how this would play out. I didn't know if I wanted Kylie to stumble across the farm, or have her go to the pharmacy when Glenn and Maggie are there for supplies. But after I solidified the fact that I wanted to go through the upheaval we saw last chapter, I figured having her sort of bond with Hershel before knowing that the groups back at his farm. And here we are, lol.**

 **Thoughts? What did you guys think of this chapter? How do you guys feel about Ky's mental state? Do you think it'll last, or do you think that her friends and family can bring her back to the happy-ho-lucky person she was before the separation? How did you guys feel about the small amount of bonding between Kylie and Hershel? Who do you think said Kylie's name at the end of this chapter? I would love to know!**

 **Coming Up Next On ' _In The End_ ': The moment we've all been waiting for! Lot's of nicknames and new comers who aren't so friendly. So come back Sunday to see what happens!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

"Rick?" Kylie's crossbow almost fell to the ground before she all but launched herself at her uncle. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was almost like the day her uncle had stepped out of the box van. After a month of being on her own, Kylie didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry. So she did both.

The bar was silent, save for the sound of Kylie's muffled sobs. Hershel looked at the duo with a saddened wonder as Rick began rubbing his nieces back, whispering soft words to calm her down.

"Holy shit, Kylie" a new voice broke the silence, instantly, Kylie broke from her uncle to look to the side. Knowing that it was Glenn, Kylie instantly she launched herself at the young man who stood there awestruck.

"Mushu!" she laughed happily, using a nickname that hadn't been uttered since the two first became friends.

"Hey there Pixie Dust" Glenn laughed as he reciprocated the hug. "You look like shit" he added jokingly once he pulled away from the hug.

At that moment, as she strapped the crossbow to her back, Kylie avoided the gaze of all three men. She didn't want them, her uncle least of all, to see the coldness in her blue eyes. There was a beat of silence before Kylie shrugged a shoulder and bit her lip. Now wasn't the time to inform the two of her adventures.

"Son of a bitch, they're alive" a voice no one recognized said a minute later. Kylie cursed herself internally for not paying more attention. Her gun holster un-clipped, the safety flipped off. She was ready for worst.

She could feel Glenn and Rick's confusion at her readiness. They shrugged it off quickly, however, and turned their attention to the two men who had entered the bar.

"I'm Dave" one of the men introduced themselves as he sat down a minute later. Rick grabbed the bottle of whisky from the counter and walked over to him, pouring a shot. Kylie had ended up moving behind the bar, her hand now resting on her gun. "That scrawny-looking douche bag there is Tony."

"Eat me Dave" the larger of the two chuckled.

"Hey, maybe someday I will" Dave joked. "We met in I-95 coming out of Philly. Damn shit-show that was."

"I'm Glenn. It's nice to meet new people."

"Rick Grimes. That's my niece..."

"Briar" Kylie interrupted. Something about the two men made her skin crawl. Neither Rick nor Glenn showed confusion at Kylie's impromptu alias.

"How about you pal?" Dave directed towards Hershel. "Have one?"

"I just quit" was the old man's response.

"You've got a unique sense of timing, my friend" Dave told him.

"His name's Hershel, He lost people today, a lot of them" Rick told Dave solemnly. There was a beat of silence between them, before Dave nodded his head in condolences.

"I'm truly sorry to hear that" Dave said. "To better days and new friends" her added, raising his shot glass." And to our dead...May they be in a better place." Everyone Hershel downed their shots.

It was then that Kylie and Rick noticed the gun in Dave's waistline. Kylie's hand gripped her gun as he pulled out the 9mm.

"Not bad, huh?" Dave asked as he presented the weapon "I got it off a cop."

"I'm a cop" Rick responded.

"This one was already dead." Dave's answer didn't make Kylie feel any better. Just their names alone reminded her of the men in the pharmacy. She couldn't help but wonder if they belong to the same group. If they did, Kylie knew that nothing good would come of it. When Tony's gaze shifted to Rick with a cocky glint, Kylie looked to her uncle. Waiting for a signal from the older man.

"You fellas are a long way from Philadelphia" Rick said after catching his niece's eye. Understanding the message she was silently giving him. Be ready.

"It feels like a long way from anywhere" Dave responded to Rick casually.

"Well what drove you south?" Rick asked, once again putting the shot glass to his lip once more.

"Well, I can tell you it wasn't the weather" was Dave's answer. As he spoke, Kylie poured another shot for Glenn and herself. The burn of the drink doing wonders for her nerves. "I must've dropped thirty pounds in sweat alone down here."

"I wish" Tony spoke up. Kylie help in a scoff.

"No," Dave started. "First it was D.C. I heard there might be some kind of refugee camp, but the roads were so jammed. We never even got close." He explained, Kylie listened intently. Trying to find holes in his story. "We decided to get off the highways, into the sticks, keep haulin' ass. Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way to get out of this thing."

"One guy told us there was the coast guard sitting in the gulf, sending ferries to the islands." Tony spoke up, continuing his companions story. Kylie's gaze never left Dave, however.

"The latest was a rail yard in Montgomery running trains to the middle of the country...Kansas, Nebraska." Dave told told them.

"Nebraska?" Glenn asked.

"Low population, lot's of guns" Tony's words were a little too excited for Kylie's liking.

"Kinda makes sense" Kylie finally spoke.

"You ever been to Nebraska, sweetheart?" Dave asked her. "There's a reason they call 'em flyover states." At that, Tony gave a wheezy laugh. The look the two men shared didn't go unnoticed to Kylie and her friends. "How about you guys?" Dave asked them.

"Fort Benning, eventually" Rick answered after a moment.

"I hate to piss in your cornflakes, officer, but...we ran across a grunt who was stationed at Benning. He said the place was overrun by Lamebrains." Dave informed them.

"Wait, Fort Benning is gone? Are you for real?" Glenn asked.

"Sadly, I am" Dave sighed before speaking again. "Oddly, the truth is there is no way out of this mess. Just keep going from one pipe dream to the next, praying one of these mindless freaks doesn't grab a hold of you when you sleep."

"If you sleep" Tony added.

"Yeah." Dave paused, and the air changed. "It doesn't look like you guys are hanging your hats here" he said. "You holed up somewhere else?"

"Not really" Rick answered a moment later, it was obvious to Kylie that her uncle had picked up the change.

"Those your car's out front?" Dave asked.

"Yea." Glenn answered.

"Why?" Kylie asked as the same time as her friend.

"We're living in ours" Dave answered her. "Those look kinda empty, clean. Where's all your gear?"

"We're with a larger group" Hershel answered vaguely.

"Just out scouting, thought we could use a drink" Kylie told him, downing another shot.

"A drink?" Dave smiled before looking to the old man. "Hershel I thought you quit?" he joked.

'We needed a designated driver" Kylie shrugged.

"Well, we're thinking of setting up around here. Is it safe?" Dave asked. The silence from the larger of the two men unnerved Kylie greatly.

"It can be" Glenn nodded. "Although I have killed a couple of walkers around here."

"More than a couple" Kylie agreed.

"Walkers?" Dave questioned. "That what you call them?"

"Yea" Glenn chuckled.

"That's good," Dave nodded. "I like that. I like that better than 'lamebrains.'"

"More succinct." To Kylie it sounded like Tony just learned what the word meant.

"Okay, Tony went to college." Dave joked.

"Two years" Tony defended before looking back at Kylie's group. A few minutes of silence passed. Kylie shifted slightly behind the bar, righting her footing perfectly coiled for an attack.

"So...So what, you guys set up on the outskirts or something?" Dave asked "That new development?"

"Trailer park or something?" Kylie would have supplied a false location to the men, but she didn't want to risk Rick, Glenn or Hershel contradicting her. Or unknowingly bring the men to where they actually were located. "A farm?" Tony asked, moving from his seat.

"Old mcdonald had a farm" Dave sung under his breath, causing Tony to chuckle lowly from the corner he had chosen to take a leak in. The tenseness that Kylie picked up from Rick told her that Tony had guessed right. "You got a farm?" It seemed as if Dave picked it up as well.

"Is it safe?" Tony asked, urine dripping to the floor. Kylie wrinkled her nose instantly.

"It's gotta be" Dave suggested. "You got food, water?"

"You got cooze?" Tony asked, looking over at Kylie. She shuttered, hearing what the man was implying. "Ain't had a piece of ass in weeks."

"Listen," Dave sighed, rubbing his at his forehead absentmindedly. "Pardon my friend. City kids, they got no tact. No disrespect" he nodded towards Kylie before turning to the man standing next to her. "So listen, Glenn..."

"We've said enough" Rick interrupted.

"Well, hang on a second" Dave responded. "This farm, it sounds pretty sweet. Don't it sound sweet Tony?"

"Yeah, real sweet" Tony nodded before zipping up his pants and walking over to the other man.

"How about a little...southern hospitality?" Dave asked. "We got some buddies back at camp, been having a real hard time. I don't see why you can't make room for a few more."

Kylie didn't know about the others, but she definitely heard the almost veiled threat in Dave's words. By now, the gun had been pulled out of it's holster, her finger just above the trigger.

"We can pool our resources, our man power..."

"Look, I'm sorry. That's not an option" Rick spoke.

"Doesn't sound like it'd be a problem" Dave said with a shrug, his eyes focused on Rick.

"I'm sorry, we can't" Hershel seemed more attuned to what was going on than Kylie originally thought when they first met.

"We can't take in anymore" Kylie told them.

"You guys are something else" Dave's tone changed as he chuckled. "I thought we were friends. We got people we gotta look out for too."

"We don't know anything about you" Rick shrugged.

"No, that's true" Dave seemed to agree. "You don't know anything about us. You don't know what we've had to go through out there, the things we've had to do." His words sent an uneasy shiver down Kylie's spine. "I bet you've had to do some of those same things yourself. Am I right?" No one answered him. "'Cause ain't nobody's hands clean in what's left in this world. Just in the last week or so, we've lost two of our people. Someone just came in and gunned them down unprovoked."

Kylie's breath caught in her throat. He was talking about the guys in the pharmacy. She had known that there was a possibility that they were part of the same group. But now that it had been confirmed, she saw red.

"We're all the same" his gaze went to Kylie then. Something in Dave's face told her that he somehow knew she had been the one to kill his comrades. "So come on, let's...let's take a nice friendly hayride to this farm and we'll get to know each other."

"That's not gunna happen" was all Rick said.

"Rick..." Dave tried to bargain.

"This is bullshit" Tony snapped.

"Calm down" Rick intervened

"Don't call me to calm down" Tony warned. "Don't ever tell me to calm down. I'll shoot you four assholes in the head and take your damn farm!" Rick stood at the threat, ready to defend his friends and family.

"Whoa whoa whoa, relax" Dave got between them. "Take it easy. Nobody's killing anybody" he pat Rick's shoulder before walking to the bar and hoping over it. Kylie was thankful that he didn't hop over on her side. Things wouldn't have gotten ugly even quicker than they already were. "Right Rick?" As soon as Rick turned to Dave, Tony's hand gripped his gun. Just as Rick heard the noise, his hand went to the Python.

With his hands up, Dave placed his gun on the dusty bar top. "Look," he said. "We're just friends having a drink, that's all." he spread his arms after that with a smile. "Now, where's the good stuff, huh?"

"Bottom shelf, two paces to the right" Kylie answered, causing Dave to look at her curiously. "I was a bartender for a while. I make a mean Grateful Dead." she added.

As soon as Dave bent behind the counter, his hand dangerously close to his gun, Rick's fingers snapped to the Python once more. But Dave popped back up with a bottle in hand and a smile.

"You gotta understand" Dave started as he poured himself a shot. "We can't stay out there. You know what it's like."

"Yea, I do" Rick nodded. "But the farm is too crowded as it is."

"You'll have to keep looking, sorry" Kylie shrugged.

"Keep looking" Dave obviously didn't like Kylie's answer. "Where do you suggested we do that, sweetheart?"

"I don't know" Rick answered for his niece. "I hear Nebraska's nice."

"Nebraska" Dave laughed. "This guy."

It happened in an instant, Dave lunged for his gun. But before his fingers could touch the metal, Kylie fired a shot. Hitting dead center in the man's forehead. Without even blinking, Rick turned and did the same to Tony. Firing three shots to take the larger man down.

With a labored breath, Kylie listened to the sound of Rick holstering his weapon. The four of them were silent. Running a hand through her hair, Kylie placed her weapon on the counter before pouring another shot with shaking fingers. Just as she was almost over what happened at the pharmacy, something happens and it sets her back.

* * *

 **AN: Hooray for sundays! I've been looking forward to today since tuesday, lol. I just wanted to give you guys a new chapter soooooooo bad the anticipation was killing me!**

 **So did you guys like this chapter? Did ya? I hope you did cuz yay for family reunions! Lol. Anyways yea, so what did you guys think? Why do you guys think Kylie keeps on giving people false names? Personally I kinda like the fact that even though the 'disney-fanatic' side of her is slowly dying out, she still takes disney based aliases. The first one was Aurora Snow, a mix between Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, then the one she gave in this chapter is Briar, as in Briar Rose-Sleeping Beauty lol. And there will be more to come, hopefully! Also, what did you guys think about Kylie's nickname for Glenn? I wanted her to have that sort of closeness with Glenn (which we sort of saw in S1) where she jokes with him, and I figured 'Why not give Glenn a Disney nickname?'. So I did that and decided on Mushu, because that little dragon is boss and so is Glenn, lol.**

 **As I'm drawing closer to finishing Season 2 (3 and a half more episodes left to write!) I realized that you guys will all be learning a little more about Kylie's life, BEFORE she went to live with Rick. Honestly, that wasn't really planned but it works sooooo, yea. Plus I kinda feel like we should know a little more about the way she was before the Turn, ya know? Anyways, I can't wait to finish the second season and share it with you all!**

 **Coming Up Next On _'In The End'_ : Kylie is invited back to the farm, Glenn and Rick blow the quartets cover, and a massive firefight. So come back TOMORROW to see what happens next! See ya then ;)**

 **As Always Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

Nothing but the defining sound of the gunshots filled the dusty bar. Rick seemed to notice his niece's state almost instantly as he moved towards where she stood, her head in one hand and a shot glass dangling loosely in the other.

"Lee?" his voice was muffled to her ears. All she could hear was the sound of gunshots and bodies dropping to the floor. Over and over again.

"Holy shit" Glenn breathed as he looked over the bodies of the two men.

"You alright?" Rick asked his three companions. Kylie simply nodded and downed the shot in her hand.

"Yea" Glenn answered. "Hershel?" he asked the old man, who nodded after a moment.

"Let's head back" Hershel announced, causing Kylie to finally look at him.

"I can...I can come back with you?" she asked quietly, at this Rick looked to Hershel.

"Of course you can" the farmer told her. "You've been away from your people for far too long."

"I need to..." Kyle paused and tried to stop her wavering voice. "I need to get to my car, I have supplies" she told them. Rick simply nodded to her as he searched the fallen bodies.

Slowly the four of them made their way to the door, only to be met with headlights.

"Car. Car, get down!" Rick whispered, urging the three others to say low. They listened and dropped to the ground, backs against the wall. Kylie kept her gun in one hand and her cross bow in the other. When she heard the sound of car doors opening and closing in the dark street, Kylie's heart pounded in her ears.

"Dave? Tony?" They heard a man call out. "They said over here?"

"Yea" a second voice answered.

"I'm telling you, man, I heard shots" a third man spoke.

"I saw roamers" the second voice spoke again "two streets over, maybe more around here. It's hot, we gotta get outta here."

Kylie barely heard the rest of the new-comers conversation as she tried to calm her erratic heartbeat. If something were to happen, she need to keep a cool head. Quietly, she shifted so that her crossbow was slung across her back and her gun was steadied between both of her hands, the safety off.

The four of them were silent as the men outside left to search for their dead friends. Rick stood and peaked out the window, trying to see if it was safe for them to move.

"Why won't they leave?" Glenn whispered.

"Would you?" Kylie scoffed.

"We can't sit here any longer" Rick told them quietly "We head out the back, run to the car" he told them before turning to look at his niece. "Lee, where's your car?" he asked her.

"Not to far from here" she answered with a sigh. "I should be able to get to it without drawing any attention. Where should we meet if we get separated?" she asked.

"My farms a couple miles from here" Hershel told her. "Mailbox says 'Green', you shouldn't miss it." Kylie simply nodded with understanding. She went to say something more as the four of them stood, only to be interrupted by gunshots. A minute later they heard the men outside say that walkers were in the area.

"We're looking for Dave and Tony and no one checks the damn bar?" one of the men asked a minute later when his companions say they hadn't been there yet. Kylie's blood ran cold as she heard them approach. Rick's gun was instantly cocked and aimed at the door, Kylie following his lead and aimed her own pistol at the target.

As the door was pushed open, Glenn instantly jumped in front of it, pushing it closed with his back. Kylie saw this as both a good thing and a bad thing. Sure it was good that the men hadn't entered, but now they knew that people were in the bar.

"Someone pushed it shut" she heard from outside. "There's someone in there"

"Yo, someone in there?" a man asked. "Yo, if someone's in there, we don't want to trouble. We're just looking for our friends." Kylie heard men on the other side of the door whispering to themselves, trying to formulate a plan. "We don't want any trouble" he called to them, "We're just looking for our friends, if something happened, tell us. This place is crawling with corpses. If you could help us not get killed I'd appreciate it."

There was silence as one of the men stayed guarding the door and the others moved to go around to the back door. Kylie watched as her uncle struggled with what to do.

"They drew on us!" he finally called out, causing Kylie to curse.

"Dave and Tony in there?" one of the men asked. "They alive?"

"No" Rick answered a moment later. "You're friend drew on us!" he shouted after hearing the conversation between the other men. "They gave us no choice! I'm sure we've all lost enough people, done things we wish we didn't have to. But it's like that now, you know that! So let's just chalk it up to what it was...wrong place, wrong..." But before Rick could continue, shots were fired through the glass of the door.

"Get out of here!" he shouted to Kylie, Glenn and Hershel as he began firing through the hole in the window.

Glenn took the lead as they ran to the back of the bar with Kylie at the rear, three of them dodging bullets as they flew past. Taking cover near Hershel, Kylie slid a nearby shotgun to Glenn, who took the weapon with shaking hands.

"Hey!" Rick called out as he emptied the chamber of his Python, policing the brass and reloading. "We all know this isn't going to end well! There's nothing in it for any of us! You guys just... just back off, no one else gets hurt!" There was silence after that. Meeting Glenn's gaze, Rick nodded for the younger man to make a break for the back door.

After taking a steadying breath, Glenn stood and began moving quietly to the back. Looking up at Hershel, Kylie silently asked the old man if he would be okay, when he nodded Kylie took off after her friend.

"Got your back, Mushu" she whispered as he slowly opened the door, his shotgun poised in front of his body. Silently the two of them moved through the dark storeroom, when they heard the sound of bottled clanking together, they instantly cocked their weapons. Before the back door could even open, Glenn fired a round through the glass.

"Glenn!? Lee!?" Rick's voice called from the front room of the bar.

"We're alright!" Kylie called back as she and Glenn moved to stand on either side of the door. Glenn cocked the shotgun once more and met Kylie's gaze. A few seconds later, they heard footsteps coming up behind them. With his weapon raised, Glenn was met with Hershel.

"Sorry" he breathed as Hershel pushed the barrel away from his torso gently.

"Rick wants you two to try for the cars" Hershel informed them.

"I can do it" Kylie nodded. "My bronco isn't too far from here and I'm good on my feet."

"Try?" Glenn asked.

"Glenn, you're the quickest person I know" Kylie told him. "You can do this."

"You'll try and succeed" Hershel continued calmly, showing her had faith in the young man. "I'll cover you" he added.

"Just cover Glenn" Kylie told Hershel, causing both men to look at her curiously. " I can handle myself" she added with a shrug.

"That's a great plan" Glenn said sarcastically.

"Head in the game, Mushu" Kylie told him, checking her clip to make she she had enough rounds before needing to reload "I'll head out first" she added "My cars on the other side of the alley." Nodding, Glenn moved back to the door and pushed it open. The old hinges squeaked loudly, but Kylie ignored it as she slowly moved through the door, her gun raised for attack.

She was almost home free when two shots were fired, one hitting her shoulder from behind.

"Fuck" she cursed. Glancing behind her, she saw that Glenn was down but otherwise unscathed. After firing back at their assailant, Hershel looked to Kylie for a moment, who shook her head. "Check Glenn, we need to get the fuck out of here" she told him. Nodding, the old man did as she said and Kylie continued on to her car.

She barely recognized the pain in her shoulder as she started the engine and quickly took off to where Rick had said the truck was. As soon as she pulled up, she cut the engine and ducked down in the seat, hiding from people and walkers alike. She was thankful that the men hadn't noticed her pull up.

From where she hid she could barely heard the conversation between the men. However she did hear the sound of someone falling from somewhere high-up and screaming in pain as he came down hard. Holding her breath as she heard an engine rev, Kylie ducked down further in her seat, hoping that they didn't notice her as they drove passed her.

Seconds later, Kylie heard gunshots. Sitting up she looked towards Rick and the others. "Shit, shit, shit" she whispered when she saw walkers approaching. Instantly she threw her open and ran to help. When she saw her uncle running towards her, Kylie paused and waited for him.

"Are you alright?" Rick asked his niece as soon as he approached her, his gaze falling to her shoulder.

"I'm fine," she told him "it went clean through. I'm fine." Rick seemed to accept her answer as he nodded and looked around them for more walkers.

"Where's it coming from?" he asked her when he processed the screaming. Sighing Kylie jerked her head in the direction of the fallen man and followed her uncle as he ran over to the alley.

The man who had fallen was barely that. He looked to be around 19 or twenty, with the spiked fence sticking through his thigh. Turning away from the site, Kylie saw Glenn and Hershel approach.

"We have to go now" Hershel's voice told them over the sound of the kids screaming.

"No, No don't leave me. Please" the kid begged.

"Sorry kid" Kylie said with an almost harsh voice and a shrug of her bloody shoulder.

"We can't" Rick told them.

"He was just shooting at us!" Glenn said loudly.

"He's a kid!" Rick responded.

"Rick, this brat just fucking shot me!"

"This place crawling with walkers!" Glenn added, glancing at his friend's shoulder quickly before turning his gaze back to Rick.

"We can't leave him" was all Rick responded with.

Looking over her shoulder, Kylie saw Hershel looking at the kids leg. From where she stood, Kylie knew that this kid wouldn't have a leg for much longer. If he was lucky.

"Shut up," Rick told him when he screamed "or I will shot you."

"That may be the answer" Hershel said, turning Rick away from the sight. "We're not gunna get that leg off without tearing the muscle to shreds. And we certainly can't, run or he may bleed out."

"We should put him down Rick" Kylie added.

"I don't want to see anymore killing" Hershel put in "But this is cruel."

"Can't we just take the leg off?" Glenn asked. There was a moment of silence as the four of them exchanged glances. It was possible.

"I have a hatchet and a few towels in my car" Kylie said, only to cause the injured kid to whimper.

"Please don't cut my leg off. Please" he pleaded.

"Will this cut through the bone?" Rick asked Hershel, not wanting to chance his niece running back to her car.

"I'll have to sever the ligaments below the kneecap, cut above the tibia. He's gunna lose his lower leg." As he spoke, Hershel began taking off his white button up off.

"Once it's done we're gunna need to cauterize the wound" Kylie said, "I may not have a doctorate, but I read" she shrugged, holstering her gun. Taking the shirt from Hershel, Kylie went over to the kid to tie off his leg with a stick to keep the appendage straight for Hershel. "I'll cover" and with that, Kylie's crossbow was in her hands and ready to fire as Glenn went to stand next to her.

"Guys, walkers!" Glenn called out "Hurry up!" he added, firing off shot after shot.

"Oh god, they're everywhere" Kylie heard Rick groan before she heard him start shooting.

"Hershel, how ya doin' over there?" Kylie called out, shooting down a walker who had wandered too close.

"I need more hands" was the old man's response.

"I'm almost outta arrows! We need to get outta here!" Kylie yelled over the gunshots, screaming and growling walkers.

"Lee, run for your car" Rick ordered "Bring it around." Meeting her uncle's eyes, Kylie saw what he wanted to do and instantly took of running.

Her heart pounded in her ears as she dodged walkers. Kylie let out a short sigh of relief when she jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine. As soon pulled up to them, Rick yanked the kids leg from the fence.

* * *

 **AN: WOOOOOO CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT! So that was kinda crazy huh? Bullets and arrows flyin' everywhere. AND KYLIE GOT SHOT! WTF! lol Well, I couldn't let her _not_ get hurt at all, ever, right? so I figured, why not let her get shot. But of course they are do not have the time for surgery or anything, so of course the bullet went clean through and all Hershel needs to do is clean the wound and stitch it up. Then our girl is right as rain! Lol. **

**So as I was going back through this chapter, doing the edits and stuff, I realized that I sorta slipped a Disney quote in there. It wasn't meant to be a Disney quote, but here we are.**

 **"Head in the game Mushu"= "Wildcats! Get your Head in the game!"**

 **Yea apparently I went there lol.**

 **Aaaaaanyways, what did you guys think of this chapter? What do YOU think is going through Rick and Glenn's heads when they, first off, see Kylie again after so long. And then see her not only shoot down her opponent without blinking, but almost have a mental break afterwards? To see her eerily calm during a firefight (though we know that she was freaking out internally lol)? I'm curious to know what you guys think!**

 **Another question (cuz I love asking 'em lol) Who do you think shot Kylie? I'll give ya a hint, we see a lot of him in coming chapters...sorta. ;)**

 **Coming Up Next On ' _In The End_ ': Kylie is lucky, she finally learned about everything that had happened to the group, conversations and the reunion we've all been waiting for. So come back Sunday to see what happens next! **

**As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

After stopping off at the house Kylie had been staying at, so that they could all rest and Hershel could asses the kids wound. They had learned at that his name was Randall, not that Kylie cared. Hershel stated that Randalls leg could be saved with a small amount of surgery, and went to look at Kylie's shoulder.

"You are one lucky young lady" he told her when Kylie joined him in the living room. He had just finished stitching up her bullet wound and Glenn was helping Rick load Randall in the back seat of the truck, his hands bound, earbuds in his ears and a bandanna around his eyes.

"That's been said" Kylie forced a laugh as she pulled Daryl's bloodied shirt over her leather jacket with a wince. "Come on, let's head out" she added, stringing her crossbow over her good shoulder.

It was during the twenty minute drive back to the farm that Kylie heard about what had happened from Glenn, and he told her just about everything. Carl had been shot and Sophia was dead. The news weighed in her stomach like a rock. Sophia was dead and it was all her fault.

She drove in silence down the long driveway behind Rick and Hershel. Kylie was just thankful that Randall had been moved from the Bronco.

As they slowly apprached, Kylie could see the entire group gathered near Dales RV and her heart pounded in her chest. She saw Rick step out of the car and Carl instantly ran over to him. Hershel and Glenn both stepped out of the cars and moved to get Randall out of the truck. Kylie, however, stayed glued to her seat.

"Patricia, prepare the shed for surgery" Hershel ordered, but Kylie couldn't see who he was talking too as she kept her head down.

"Is that... is that Kylie?" T-Dog spoke up, causing Kylie to almost jump out of her skin. Letting out a shaky breath, she opened her door and jumped from the Bronco with her pink crossbow resting across her back. There was silence as everyone's eyes were on her. But Kylie didn't meet a single one as she moved to the back seat of the truck, roughly pulling Randall from his seat with a wince. "Who the hell is that?" T-Dog asked.

"That's Randall" Glenn answered.

"Whoever Patricia is, show me where the shed is so I don't have to look at this little douchebag anymore" Kylie growled. The blonde woman in question straightened her back and led Kylie away from the group, who seemed suprised about the once happy-go-lucky womans new demeanor.

After dropping Randall off at the shed with Hershel, Kylie walked back to her Bronco to grab advil for her shoulder and a cigarette for her nerves. It was too much, being back with her group. Even running into Rick and Glenn at the bar was too much, but they had other things on their minds at the time. Like not dying.

With her crossbow in her lap and a cigarette in her hand Kylie rested her against the seat. No one had approached her since she showed up, not even her family. A part of her wanted to think that they were just busy with their own things. But another part, the part that had taken over her mind in the past month, told her it was because they could sense the change in her. And that scared her.

"Kylie?" she heard a soft voice call to her from the other side of the door. Snapping out of her thoughts, Kylie turned and saw Carol standing there, wringing her hands nervously. "C-Can I talk to you?" the woman asked. Gulping, Kylie nodded her head. "N-Not here" Carol said, glancing at the group who had been watching them. Again Kylie nodded and followed Carol with her crossbow over her good shoulder.

The two women were silent as they walked into the woods. When they finally stopped, Kylie saw a destroyed bush of Cherokee Roses. Quietly, Carol sat on the ground and took a loose flower into her hands.

"I just wanted you to know..." Carol started a minute later "I don't blame you."

Kylie's throat closed at the womans words. How could this woman be so forgiving, and not blame Kylie for her little girls death.

"If I had just..." Kylie trailed off, her voice cracking slightly but she didn't continue.

"You did what you could" Carol said softly. "Before we came here, I blamed everyone. I blamed Rick most of all. I thought ' _how could he leave my little girl alone?'_ Then I remembered that you were with her, I remembered what you had told her about being strong. When my Sophia walked out of that barn, I thought I would blame you for letting her die." At her words, Kylie looked down at her feet. "But I didn't. Because I know that you did all you could to keep her safe."

They were silent again, and Kylie still couldn't meet the womans gaze. Though she now knew that Carol didn't blame her, Kylie still blamed herself.

"I know being out there changed you" Carol continued "It made you a survivor. But I hope it didn't change you completely." At this, Carol stood and placed the small white flower in Kylie's hands.

Kylie wanted to cry. She didn't understand how Carol could have so much faith in her. It was clear that Carol knew Kylie had to do what she needed to survive, but was the old Kylie Grimes gone forever?

It was when was when they were leaving that Kylie noticed a familiar farmhouse a short distance away.

* * *

After they had returned to camp, Carol left Kylie's side to start on the laundry while Kylie went back to her Bronco. And after attaching the flower to the visor, Kylie went to the back seat and began shuffling through the duffel bag. Minutes later, Kylie with the bag over her shoulder, she walked over to the RV and dropped it with a wince.

"Supplies" Kylie shrugged her good shoulder when Dale sent her a quetioning look.

"Kylie" Dale stopped her when she went to walk back to the Bronco. "I'm glad you're safe" he told her, causing Kylie to nod her head sharply "And I'm sure you're old tent is around here somewhere, unless..." he trailed off.

Kylie knew what he was getting at. Dale was trying to ask her if she was going to stay with Daryl again. In truth, Kylie didn't _know_ if she wanted to stay with Daryl like she used to. Especially after spending so much time alone.

"Have you talked to him?" Dale asked and Kylie shook her head with a sigh. "Well, if you want to, he has his own camp over there" he added, pointing to a small area a distance away from the main camp. "I think you should go over there. That man has been worried sick about you."

"Thank you Dale" Kylie said quietly. Walking back to her car, Kylie bit her lip and looked in the direction Daryls camp. She wanted to go to him, to talk to him at the very least, but did he want to talk to her? Dale had said that he was worried about her, but what if that worry had turned into anger. Kylie knew better than almost every one how easily Daryl's anger switch could flip.

But before Kylie could make a decision, she saw her uncle walk over to her.

"Lee, group meeting inside" he told her. Nodding, Kylie shouldered her crossbow and followed her uncle inside of the pristine farmhouse.

"We couldn't just leave him behind, he would've bled out" Rick explained to the group as they sat in the dining room. "If he lived that long."

"It's gotten bad in town" Glenn added, looking at Kylie, who scoffed.

"It's been that way for a while, Mushu" Kylie told him, rubbing at her browline "You guys have just been lucky when you would go there."

"What do we do with him?" Andrea asked from her spot next to Shane.

"I repaired his calf muscle the best I can," Hershel started as he joined them "but he'll probably have nerve damage. Won't be on his feet for at least a week."

"When he his, we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, send him on his way" Rick stated.

"Isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers?" Andrea asked.

"He'll have a fighting chance" Rick told her as Daryl and T-Dog joined them.

"Just let him go?" Shane asked. "He knows where we are."

"He was blindfolded the whole way here" Kylie said "Plus I had some Black Sabbath blasting a hole in his eardrums. Ain't no way he'd find his way back. " she added roughly.

"He's not a threat" Rick nodded.

"Not a threat?" Shane scoffed. "How many of them were there? You killed three of their men, took one of them hostage, but they aint gunna come looking?" Kylie wanted to correct Shane and tell the group that she had personally killed at least three men, but she could tell that it wouldn't help matters so she kept her mouth shut.

"They left him for dead. No one is looking" Rick said with authority.

"We should still post guard" T-Dog suggested.

"He's out cold right now" Hershel told them "Will be for hours."

"You know what" Shane scoffed "I'm gunna go out and get him some flowers and candy" he scoffed once more before he moved to leave the room "Look at this folks, we back in fantasy land!"

"You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet" Hershel stopped the alreayd unhinged Shane "Let me make this perfectly clear once and for all, this is _my_ farm. Now I wanted you gone, Rick talked me out of it. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favor, keep your mouth shut."

Kylie pursed her lips at the old mans words, trying to hold back a laugh as she watched Shane sigh and stomp out of the house. She could tell that something had changed in the man Rick had once called his best friend. His darkness had always been there, but in the past month it seemed to become more prominent.

"We're not gunna do anything about it today" Rick told them "let's just cool off." Silence followed as everyone seemed to go their separate ways.

As they all left, Kylie watched as Carol tried to approach Daryl, but the man simply pushed by her and left the house. Unsure of what to do, Kylie bit her lip and glanced to where Glenn had walked with another young woman. From where she stood, Kylie couldn't hear what they were saying, but it seemed heavy. When she saw Glenn walked away, Kylie went into the kitchen.

"Hey" she started quietly to the woman. "Umm, I'm Kylie."

"Maggie" the woman sighed.

"Look, I know we don't know eachother, like at all, but can we talk?" Kylie asked, Maggie nodded and sat down at the table with her head in her hands. "So you love Glenn." It wasn't a question. Maggie went to protest Kylie's accusation but quickly closed her mouth once more when Kylie rose an eyebrow.

"Yea, but I don't think he feels the same way" Maggie admitted with a small nod.

"He does" Kylie reassured the woman. Maggie went to open her mouth once more, but Kylie rose a hand to silence her. "Look, on our way over here, Glenn told me about you and the look in his eyes said that he thought the world of you. Let me put it this way," Kylie added "Glenn's a guy, and guys are stupid. Most don't realize the way the feel until the last minute. Glenn's just like any other guy. Don't get me wrong, he's my best friend and all, but I don't think he's actually been _in love_ , you know?" Kylie asked, and Maggie nodded in understanding. "Just give him time, Maggie, he'll come around."

"Thank you" Maggie smiled, and Kylie forced one in return as she stood.

"Anytime."

* * *

Kylie knew that there was some internal drama in the group, between one member or another. Not wanting to deal with it, Kylie holstered her gun and knife, latched her new machete to her belt and slung the crossbow over her shoulder. Seemed like a good time to go hunting, so after letting Dale know, Kylie made her way into the woods. She also wanted to make sure that the farmhouse she had seen earlier with Carol had been the same one she had stayed in.

She was surrounded by a silence that she almost missed as soon as she was deep enough into the trees. There was no questioning glances, or awkward conversations. Kylie found a semblance of peace that she didn't even know she missed.

As she shot down her fourth squirrel, Kylie was mulling over her choices. Yes she was ecstatic that she was reunited with everyone. But at the same time, she almost missed being by herself. Only having to look out for herself and not dealing with any drama.

Kylie almost choked when she saw the familiar dilapidated structure in front of her. Now she was positive that it was the same farmhouse she had stayed in all those weeks ago.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" a gruff voice asked from behind her. Turning, Kylie rose her crossbow, only to lower it when she saw Daryl.

"Didn't want to deal with the hormonal bullshit that the group seems to have right now" Kylie shrugged, turning away from the man to stare back at the farmhouse. "I can't believe I was _this_ fucking close" she muttered to herself.

"What're you talking about?" Daryl asked as he moved to stand in front of her.

"I stayed here a few weeks back, locked my self in the cupboard for the night..." she trailed off, running a hand through her hair.

"I thought that was Sophia" Daryl told her. "I found this place, and I saw the set up, I thought you had stashed Sophia in there or somethin'."

"No" Kylie shook her head. "I hadn't seen her since that first night."

They were quiet for a while longer, both of them turning and leaving the old farmhouse behind them as they walked through the trees. It wasn't until they returned to Hershel's farm that Daryl gripped Kylie's arm tightly, causing her to jump, something he noticed.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"Not really in the mood to pitch a tent near everyone. Not really...ready" she told him.

"Start up your car, I'll drop this stuff off and we'll get you set up near me" It wasn't a question, so Kylie just nodded.

"You sure?" she asked.

"All your stuffs with me anyways" Daryl shrugged as he walked off.

* * *

 **AN: Yes new chapter day! So excited, lol. Since this is basically the chapter we've all been waiting for since Kylie separated from the group, lol. But it wasn't all laughs and tears of happiness. Kylie's different, she's gotten too used to being on her own, not being around any other people that she sort of changed.**

 **So did you guys like the chapter? I had a plan from the very beginning, after I determined that Kylie and Glenn would be really close. I wanted Kylie and Maggie to eventually become best friends as well. And we sort of see the start of that in this chapter. Right now, Kylie is finding it easier to converse with Hershel and his family. Because they don't know how Kylie used to be, they don't know her. So she won't have to pretend to be someone that she's not anymore.**

 **How did you guys feel about the conversation between Carol and Kylie? Honestly I wasn't sure who I wanted Kylie to talk to first. Then I decided on Carol. After finding out about Sophia's death, Kylie blames herself. Heavily. So I wanted to have some kind of small reassurance that it wasn't her fault. Though she will still blame her self just a bit.**

 **Also did you guys like how Daryl was all like ' _All your stuffs with me anyways_ ' when we all know he was really saying ' _You're staying with me, and that's that_ '. **

**Soooooo yea let me know what you think!**

 **Coming Up Next On ' _In The End_ ': Kylie lights stuff on fire, Daryl is told that he shouldn't beat himself up over what happened, and Kylie shares her story. SO come back tomorrow to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

Kylie drove up to Daryl's camp in silence with him in the passenger seat. When she parked next to his bike a minute later, Kylie let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. It looked just as she expected it to, which suited her just fine.

Sliding out of the driver's seat with her crossbow over her shoulder, Kylie winced when the stitches in her shoulder stretched.

"You alright?" Daryl asked her when he noticed

"Yea" Kylie nodded "Mother fucker in the shed shot me earlier. Shit's still sore." Daryl could hear the venom in her voice, but nodded in understanding.

When she ducked into the tent behind him, Kylie noticed her old Mickey Mouse bag stuffed in the corner. And her pink blanket on his cot. She didn't even question why her blanket was there, instead she began un-holstering her weapons and placed her crossbow on the ground.

"Imma start the fire, think you can get a few of them rabbits skinned for dinner?" Daryl asked.

"Please" Kylie scoffed "You taught me everything you know."

After the fire was started and the rabbits were cooking, Kylie disappeared into the tent, only to return a few minutes later with her old Mickey Mouse bag in hand. Daryl watched her silently as she sat on the ground and began going through her belongings. Some things were put aside, while others were placed back in the bag. And once the rabbits were taken off of the fire, Kylie placed the bag in the pit, causing the fire to flare brightly.

"It's not me anymore" she told Daryl quietly. He didn't say anything, just began eating his dinner in silence.

Daryl didn't need to question her. He knew that Kylie had changed in their month apart, how could she not? It was almost impossible to imagine the things she had to do when she was on her own.

The sun had set long ago and the two of them stayed by the fire, enjoying the silence.

"I don't blame you for not finding me, you know" Kylie told him quietly. "My trail prolly got mucked up along the way by walkers or something...plus it wasn't like I was even trying after a while" she added. When Daryl didn't say anything, Kylie shifted in her seat and stared at the flames. "I wanted to give up after a while. For a while I figured I would never see you or my family again, so what was the point" she shook her head "Then I remembered that I don't give up."

"I shoulda been able to find you" Daryl spoke a moment later "Shit you were holed up in a farmhouse a few miles from here."

"Shit happens Daryl" Kylie shrugged "Fuck a part of me is glad that you didn't, cuz then I wouldn't have made the changes that I needed to..." Kylie paused for a moment before she went back into the tent to grab her crossbow "Plus I wouldn't have found this bad-ass crossbow" she added with a giggle before plopping down on the ground to start cleaning her weapon.

"You're still the same, Ky" Daryl told her, watching her movements.

"Not really" she shrugged "Not all this blood is mine, you know" Kylie told him, tugging on the collar of the bloodied shirt.

"What happened?" he asked her a moment later. Kylie sighed and placed her crossbow in front of her. She didn't know if she wanted to tell Daryl everything that had happened, a small portion of her said that he would hate her once he knew. But Kylie shook away those feelings and looked at him.

"Give me a minute?" she asked softly. Daryl just nodded and Kylie stood, walking over to her Bronco. Letting out a shaky breath, Kylie ran a hand through her hair before grabbing her duffle bag where she had stashed a bottle of whiskey. "Gunna need a drink if I'm gunna tell you this" Kylie said when she returned, cracking the bottle and taking a long pull. Handing the bottle to Daryl, Kylie tried to find the right words. "A week or two ago, I was on a small run to the sporting goods store in town. But there was someone there." she started, taking the bottle back from Daryl "I didn't want a confrontation so I booked it to the pharmacy. I let my guard down and this guy came up to me from behind, there were two others and they were joking around about..." Kylie sighed and took another long pull from the bottle, but she didn't need to continue. Daryl knew what she was getting at.

"I was able to get my gun out" she told him, "Shot them both down, double tap. But the third guy got away. I killed two guys without even blinking."

Daryl was silent as he watched Kylie, who refused to meet his gaze. He knew that she was reluctant to tell him what she did, and for good reason. Sighing, Daryl stood from his seat and walked over to her, taking the bottle from the woman's shaking fingers.

"You did good" was all he said before pulling her to him. Kylie was shocked, not because he was so calm about her killing two men, but because he was the one who initiated physical contact between them.

It took her a second to get over the shock before wrapping her arms around Daryl and smiled against his chest. After they pulled away from each other, they sat in a comfortable silence in front of the fire with Kylie's head resting on Daryl's shoulder. Being this far away from the main camp and with the only person who wouldn't push her into talking was exactly what Kylie needed. She didn't need to be around everyone, in the middle of their drama and trying to make decisions for the group. All she needed was time and the man who was a little closer to her than he had once been.

An hour or two later, Kylie was still sitting in front of the now dying fire with the half empty bottle of whiskey in her hands while Daryl fixed up their bed. She didn't know why he needed to fix up the cot, it seemed fine to her, but Kylie let him go into the tent without an argument. Just as she was bringing the bottle to her lips, she heard the crackle of the CB in her car.

"' _Please...'"_ she heard a staticy male voice. Standing from her spot next to the dying fire, Kylie all but stumbled to the Bronco. "' _This is D-Pooly calling on... I'm just outside of...'"_ and the the voice cut out. It was the handle that made Kylie's heart stop. There was only one person that she knew of that use that name.

"Are you still on the air?" Kylie spoke into the CB, only to be met with static, "This is Pixie Dust calling to persons unknown, please respond."

As she let go of the button on the radio, Kylie stretched over to the glove box to grab the map she had stored. Just in case the man on the other end responded with his location. Just as she did, Kylie saw Daryl exit the tent and walk over to her.

"What's going on?" he asked her.

"There was someone on the air" Kylie told him, running a hand through her hair. "They used a handle I recognize. I'm trying to call out, but..." she sighed, motioning to the CB which was just producing static.

"' _Again, this is...'"_ she heard the voice say "' _from outside of Senoia...'"_ then the voice broke off again. Grumbling to herself, Kylie began fiddling with dials on the CB, trying to get a clearer signal.

"Piece of shit!" she, slamming the microphone down harshly.

"Ky, it's late" Daryl told her "We'll try again before our hunt in the morning" he added calmly. With a sigh, Kylie nodded and jumped out of the drivers seat.

Once inside the confines of Daryl's tent, Kylie saw what he had been doing. The cot was gone and instead he had piled all of his blankets on the floor, he had even grabbed the comforters from the Bronco at some point, to make them a decent sized make-shift bed.

"It was, uh..." Daryl started awkwardly "It seemed like we'd be more comfortable this way without cramming ourselves on the cot."

With an actual smile Kylie turned to him and took the hunter by surprise by placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"It's perfect Daryl" she told him, her nerves finally starting to soothe themselves out. Daryl nodded silently as Kylie moved away from him to get changed for bed. Over the past month, she hadn't bothered changing into pajamas. But being back with Daryl made her feel almost normal. So she changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before laying down with her loaded crossbow nearby, waiting for Daryl to join her.

"Get some rest Ky" he told her softly when he finally laid down and she curled into his side with her head on his chest.

"I missed you, Daryl" Kylie yawned before her vision went black.

* * *

 **AN: So there is chapter thirty and I hope you guys enjoyed it! So obvs nothing much happened in this chapter, except for Kylie basically spilling her guts to Daryl. Honestly, if I wasn't the one writing this story and I was just reading it I would say 'Good, she needed to let someone know what had happened to her" so that's why I did that so soon.**

 **Anyways, so Kylie hears a random voice on the CB. And she recognized the handle. Do you guys think that it's just coincidence, or do you think that it might actually be someone Kylie actually knows? If so, are they from her delinquent days, or her years with Rick? I can't wait for you guys to find out!**

 **And of course, we needed the cuteness between Kylie and Daryl. They have been apart for so long that I needed to have some fluff between these two bad asses. SO yea, hope ya'll liked that too ;) lol**

 **Coming Up Next On ' _In The End_ ': Kylie bonds with Maggie, Rick confides in his niece. And something I think we've all been waiting for happens! So come back Sunday to see what happens!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: BTW, guys, I am soooooooo close to finishing season two! And before I jump into season three, I'm going to do a small segment of chapters, showing the groups growth throughout the winter. So that'll be fun. But I might end up lacking in chapters to give you guys, as I am going to try and focus a little more on my True Blood story ' _The Sweetest Sin'_. So be on the look out for that!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty One**

It had been two days since Kylie had been reunited with her people. Two days since she had heard the familiar handle on the CB. In that time, Kylie spent as little time as possible with the main group. She was still a little apprehensive about spending too much time around people, regardless of how close she was with them before. Most of her time was spent in the woods with Daryl.

Before and after each meal, Kylie would try the radio. She had managed to raise the stranger, only to be cut off from him each time. Kylie couldn't even be sure that he was who she thought he was. But she had to try. No one but Daryl knew about her trying to find the man on the radio, and she wanted to keep it that way until she knew for sure what or who she was dealing with. Though she had told Maggie.

When she wasn't in the woods with Daryl, or trying to get a hold of the elusive ' _D-Pooly_ ', Kylie spent time with Maggie and Glenn. Mostly in the house, telling a slightly catatonic Beth stories of the past. Stories she hadn't once shared with her cousin Carl, because of his age.

"You really were wild, weren't you?" Maggie laughed after Kylie had finished telling her about the first time she had gotten arrested at the age of fifteen.

"Yea" Kylie nodded with a small chuckle.

Since she had arrived at the farm, Kylie had talked a bit with Maggie. Though it was to appease Glenn, over the past few days, Kylie found herself actually growing to like the farmers daughter.

"So have you heard from that guy again?" Maggie asked, taking a small sip of water.

"Another hit and miss this morning" Kylie shook her head. "I know he's somewhere in Senoia, or at least near there. But the radio always cuts out before I can get an actual location."

"Hopefully you can find out soon" Maggie sighed and Kylie nodded her head in agreement. "I don't feel right leaving an innocent person out there to die."

"Same" Kylie said. "I just hope this guy actually _is_ innocent" she added. Maggie couldn't help but agree with her.

The two women were silent for a while before Kylie noticed her uncle walk over to them. With a small movement of his head, Rick silently asked his niece to walk with him. Sensing that her uncle had something important to talk to her about, Kylie nodded and stood from her spot.

"Talk to you later, Mags" and with that she followed her uncle. For twenty minutes the two of them were silent as they walked over the browning grass. "What's going on, Rick?" she asked her uncle, pulling her jacket tighter around her body as the wind blew.

"We haven't seen you much lately, Lee" Rick finally spoke. "You've barely spoken to anyone in the group since you've been back" he told her, casuing his niece's caze to drop to her black boots.

"I know..." she trailed off with a nod. Kylie was quiet for a moment as she tried to find the right words. She had told Daryl how she felt, of course, but telling someone else was different. "Being back with the group is surreal. For the past month, being by myself, fighting to keep myself alive...it's just taking some time to get used to being back with everyone."

"Is that why you've been with Daryl?" Rick asked her.

"I guess" Kylie shrugged. "I can be alone with Daryl without actually being _alone_ " she told him. "Just give me time Rick. You know I'll have your back when you need it."

Accepting her answer, Rick nodded and they continued walking. Kylie could tell that there was more he wanted to talk about, but she didn't push him.

It was fifteen minutes later that Rick dropped the bomb. Lori was pregnant and Rick was unsure if the baby was his. Even before Kylie began isolating herself to the woods and Daryl's camp, before the world was taken over by the dead, she was no good at helping with problems of this caliber. She knew, however, that Rick wasn't asking for her advice. He was telling her what was happening so that he could actually _tell someone_. The man needed to vent to someone who wouldn't judge him.

* * *

 ****Warning M rating ahead (finally!)****

After they parted ways, Kylie went back to her and Daryl's tent and waited for the hunter to return. With a groan, Kylie stretched out on their pile of blankets trying to wrap her head around everything that was happening. She knew that things with the group would be making a turn for the worst, and soon. Even though she had been with the group for a couple of days, Kylie had seen the looks that Shane was shooting towards Rick. And they weren't friendly.

Sighing, Kylie sat up and began removing her weapons and jacket. The things she had learned about the group were weighing on her mind and at this point all she wanted to do was sleep. Just as she shimmied out of her pants, leaving her in a pair of lacy black underwear, the tent was being zipped open.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Daryl stepping through the tents door. In the past few days they had seen each other in various forms of undress, but they hadn't been physical since that night at the CDC. It wasn't as if Kylie hadn't thought about it, however. During her nights alone, she had found herself thinking about that night more often than not.

Daryl didn't seem to notice her at first, as he had instantly turned around to zip the tent shut. But as soon as he faced her, time seemed to freeze. A blush found its way to Kylie's cheeks as she pulled her legs closer to her body. For some reason she was shy this time. It had been so long and she had gone through so much, that having Daryl see her like this...well it was different. Just as Daryl's blue eyes raked over Kylie's body, the air in the tent changed.

Without speaking, Daryl dropped his crossbow next to Kylie's and stalked over to her. His body towering over her as he looked down at her, causing Kylie to lay on her back so that she could actually look at him.

"I was umm..." Kylie cleared her throat "I was gunna take a quick nap before you came back from your hunt." But Daryl didn't respond as his eyes finally left Kylie's bright blue eyes and drifted down to her bare legs. "So uh... you get us anything good?" she asked.

"Couple owls, some squirrels, rabbits" but Daryl didn't seem all that committed to his answer.

"Want me to, uh, start getting them ready?" she asked him, propping herself up with her elbows. It was nearing dinnertime and she knew Daryl would probably want to eat soon. But he simply shook his head. When his gaze drifted back up to her face, Kylie noticed a change in the mans eyes. There was something primal in them, filling them with pure need.

Seeing the look in his eyes Kylie's breathing to come out in labored huffs and a warmth to spread through her. Her body knew what was going to happen. This time, however, she wanted Daryl to take the lead.

His vest and long sleeved button ups were shed a second later, before he knelt before Kylie. She bit her lip as Daryl's hands gripped her bare thighs and nudged her legs open before settled between them.

"Fuckin' perfect, Ky" he told her, re-using his words from the first time he had seen her at the CDC. Kylie breathing shuddered as his hands drifted up her thighs, gripping them tightly and bringing her closer to him. As soon as her lower body was flush against his, Daryl's hands moved from her thighs, over her hips and to the hem over the black top she wore. This time, Daryl didn't ask Kylie if she was sure. This time he pulled the shirt up and over her head to reveal a bare torso, lifting an eyebrow when he saw that she wasn't wearing a bra.

"It's a pain in the ass with my shoulder" she tried to shrug at his unasked question. Instead of responding, Daryl allowed his fingers trace up her torso, halting slightly over the curve of her breast. In an instant, Kylie's hands were being pinned above her head and Daryl was kissing her deeply with a type of hunger that made her head spin.

Moaning into the kiss, Kylie's back arched, her hips brushing against Daryl's jean clad groin. She moaned once more when she felt the stiffness beneath his pants. Needing air, Kylie broke the kiss and tossed her head back, only to gasp in pleasure when Daryl's teeth gently settled around the cord of muscle in her neck. Biting her lip to hold back a loud moan, Kylie lifted her hips once more, only to be met by Daryl, both of them groaning at the friction the movement caused.

Keeping once hand wrapped around her wrists, Daryl used his other hand to reach between them, slowly stroking Kylie through the moist material of her panties.

"Still so wet" he growled in her ear. Kylie shuddered as Daryl hit the bundle of nerves, almost coming undone at his touch. "Keep you're hands up there darlin'" he told her once he released her wrists and slipped his fingers into the waistband of her panties, swiftly pulling them down her legs.

"You're..." Kylie gasped when Daryl's fingers returned to her thighs, stroking dangerously close to her center. "You're still wearing too much clothing" she told him, causing Daryl to chuckle.

"Nah, Ky" he shook his head. "I'm takin' care of you first." Not even a second later, Daryl's fingers were stroking lightly at her wet folds before a finger slipped into her core. Followed shortly by a second. Kylie gasped at the familiar feeling as his fingers moved inside her. Then Daryl did something she wasn't expecting.

Daryl's lips found their way to her sensitive clit, causing Kylie to moan deeply at the feeling and raise her hips to meet him. A part of her couldn't believe that he was doing this. But the other part, the part that instantly won, lost itself in the pleasure he was bringing her. Knowing her moans would be louder than normal, Kylie kept her lower lip firmly between her teeth. Though it did little to muffle the sound.

Kylie could feel herself nearing her orgasm as Daryl's fingers thrust in and out of her while his mouth worked the sensitive bundle of nerves. But Daryl did seem to want her to reach that point yet as he pulled away from her.

"Fuck" she breathed, almost whimpering at the loss, though thankful that Daryl seemed to be giving her the chance to finally breath. "Knew it would be good, didn't think it would be _that_ good."

"So you've thought 'bout that, huh?" Daryl's smirking voice came at her. Finally opening her eyes, Kylie saw Daryl finally removing his bloodstained jeans, followed by his boxers. At the sight of her next form of pleasure, Kylie lost all words. So instead she simply nodded her head. Taking his hardened stiff member in his hands, Daryl leaned forward and placed himself at her sopping entrance. "Me too" and with a swift thrust he was filling her.

This time, however, Daryl didn't still in an attempt to allow Kylie to stretch to his size. Instead he gripped her thigh, hooking her leg over his arm and began moving with a quick roughness that they both seemed to need. In order to stifle what would be truly loud moans, Kylie bit down on the mans shoulder, causing him to groan in pleasure against her neck. And she met him thrust for rough thrust.

* * *

 **AN: So after SUCH a long wait (for both us and Darlie) there is sexy times! Lol. At first I wanted to have them get down and dirty that first night, when Kylie first comes back to camp. But as I continued writing, I realized that because of what happened to her in the pharmacy, Kylie wouldn't be up for that right away. Which is fine. Anyways, so yay it finally happened! Now when we're all done doing the happy dance, we can continue, lol.**

 **Kylie didn't know about Lori being pregnant until now. Which really isn't all that surprising, considering our girl had been gone for a month and has been distancing herself since her return. But of course, Kylie wasn't surprised about the news. And thanks to her time at the Quarry, she knows more than anybody about the possibility of the baby being Shane's. (If you remember her first hunt with Daryl, she stumbled on the two of them)**

 **Ever since I first started writing ' _In The End_ ', I knew that I wanted Kylie and Maggie to become close. At first, before I decided on separating Kylie and the group, it was going to be in the early days at the farm. But obvs that sort of didn't work out, lol. But I knew that I still wanted it to happen. So I (sorta) found a way around it. And I'm hoping that I can keep that friendship up.**

 **Coming Up Next On ' _In The End'_ : Some mild flirting between our favorite lovers, Ky kinda sorta flips on her least favorite blonde, and Daryl asks Kylie something really important. But it won't be what you all are thinking. SO come back tomorrow to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! And more importantly; HAPPY WALKING DEAD MID-SEASON PREMIER DAY! Are you guys as excited as I am?!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty Two**

Kylie Grimes was spent. Her skin was slicked with sweat as her head rested on Daryl's equally sweaty chest. After almost two hours of chasing orgasm after orgasm, she was sore, tired and most of all Kylie was _hungry_. When he stomach grumbled, Daryl laughed lowly, placing a kiss on her forehead before moving to stand.

"Get dressed, I'll get the fire ready" he told her. Giving a real smile, one that was reserved for Daryl alone, Kylie nodded. Watching as he dressed himself, grabbed his crossbow and left the tent. With a moan, Kylie stretched herself out on their bed before sitting up and pulling her bag over.

After a minute, Kylie was dressed in a loose fitting off-the-shoulder t-shirt that fell to the lower hem of her black and white checkered shorts. Once dressed, Kylie grabbed her knife and crossbow before heading out to the small fire pit.

"You're gunna freeze that cute little ass off, Ky" Daryl told her when she walked over to him and placed her crossbow next to her camp chair.

"You'll just have to warm it up later" she joked, sending a wink in his direction before trotting over to her bronco to sort through her back pack. "You skin, I cook?" Kylie suggested, returning to the fire with a few bottles of seasoning in hand. Nodding, Daryl pulled his knife and began skinning the squirrels he had retrieved while Kylie curled herself up in her chair and waited.

She watched him work, with a smile on her face, and couldn't help but think that this is what her life should of been like. Not the walkers, of course, but her and Daryl sitting in front of the fire preparing dinner after two and a half hours of mind blowing sex.

It was when Daryl was finished skinning the game, and Kylie was rubbing seasonings into the meat when they heard footsteps approaching. Daryl instantly reached for his crossbow, only to see Andrea walking towards them. Upon seeing the blonde Kylie's jovial mood was diminished, a small scowl replacing her smile in an instant. One thing Glenn didn't leave out when he filled Kylie in on what had happened with the group, was the fact that Andrea had shot Daryl.

"What do you want, Andrea?" she asked roughly, not meeting the blonde gaze as she placed the squirrels over the fire.

"I just... wanted to see how you were doing" Andrea stated. "Dale said you had it pretty rough out there."

"Yea, I did. I survived" Kylie answered simply, watching her dinner slowly cook. She wasn't angry at Andrea for protecting camp, she was angry that the blonde who barely knew how to handle a gun had taken a shot that wasn't clear when told numerous times to stand down.

For a few long minutes, the only sound that surrounded the small camp was the cracking fire.

"Look, if Dale sent you over here to get me to open up, then fuck off" Kylie all but snapped. "I don't need a shrink, and I don't need to get all buddy-buddy with a person who shot someone important to me. So kindly back. The fuck. Off" and she left it at that before standing from her chair and going into the tent to grab her pack of cigarettes and her lighter.

By the time she walked back outside, Andrea was already stalking back to the main camp and Daryl was turning the squirrels.

"Sorry" Kylie said quietly when she sat back down in her chair, Daryl just shrugged. "I ruined the night, didn't I?" she asked.

"Nah" Daryl told her with a small shake of his head. "I may have forgiven Blondie, but even though it was a while ago, it's still news to you" he added, Kylie nodded her head quietly.

"I wish more nights can be like this" Kylie said softly a few minutes later. "A quiet night, no drama, epic sex and decently seasoned squirrel" she added with a smile when Daryl sent her a curious look. "But it can't." Then they were silent again.

Daryl agreed with her. He wanted to be alone, but he wanted to be alone with the one woman who meant the world to him.

"Would you wanna..." Daryl trailed off minutes later as he handed Kylie her squirrel. "If shit broke down here, would you wanna leave?" he asked.

"With you?" Daryl nodded in response to the brunette's question. "Anywhere. Anytime."

* * *

Another day had come and Kylie still hadn't heard from the C.B stranger. Though she was agitated over that fact, she couldn't help but smile when she woke on the third day. While Daryl checked in with Rick and the others, Kylie would be visiting Hershel to see if the stitches in her shoulder were ready to be removed.

"How's it looking?" she asked him after removing her button up and tugging down the loose collar of her shirt.

"Would be better if you had used the sling like I suggested" Hershel sighed, looking over the sutures.

"Yea well..." Kylie trailed off with a smirk and a shrug.

"Other than the redness" Hershel told her "I would say that they could come out by tomorrow at the latest."

Nodding her head, Kylie thanked the old man before grabbing her button up and shouldering her crossbow.

"Might be gone for the night" she heard Daryl say to Rick. "Saw some hog tracks yesterday. Figure we can dry the meat we don't use after the hunt."

"Good idea" Rick nodded. "That way we won't have to send you two out for a while." It was then that Rick and Daryl noticed that Kylie had joined them in front of the house. "How's the shoulder looking, Lee?" the man asked his niece.

"Fine, little red, but that's normal. Stitches can come out tomorrow, thank god" she said, lifting her nearly empty duffle bag. "You ready to head out?' Kylie asked, turning to Daryl, who simply nodded his head.

"You think we should be sending her back out into those woods with him?" Kylie heard Shane asked as she and Daryl were walking away.

"Kylie can take care of herself, Brother" was all Kylie could hear before they were out of hearing range.

Kylie and Daryl were silent as they walked passed the tree line, crossbows in hand and eyes darting between the trees. The two hunters didn't need to talk as they stepped over tree roots and branches. Though Kylie knew that between the two of them, they could easily find their way back to the farm, she still pulled her knife and marked their trail discreetly on the trees. A small, barely visible arrow pointing them in the right direction.

As she was doing this, Daryl would occasionally crouch down to check the hog tracks. From where she stood a little ways behind him, letting the man take the lead, she could tell that the tracks were faint. Daryl was right, this hunt could definitely last them well into the morning and she was thankful that she had though to bring extra provisions and her pink blanket along on the hunt.

"Eyes open, Ky" Daryl warned her, snapping Kylie out of her thoughts. Looking beyond his form, she could see two walkers heading in their direction. Without another word, two arrows were lodged in each of the walkers foreheads. "Gettin' better with that thing" he complimented.

"Had a good teacher" she smirked as they both retrieved their respective arrows. "Granted, he's distracting as all fuck, but still." Daryl simply huffed at her joke.

"Come one, Ky, back to the hunt" he said, a smirk playing at his lips. It seemed as if being in the woods brought a little bit of the old Kylie back to him. Sure the cold darkness was still with her, but he could see the trees bringing out the playfulness that she had before.

Hours later, Kylie and Daryl were taking a well deserved break. As the day dragged on, the sun beat down on them. Their skin slick with sweat, causing their hair and clothes to stick to their bodies. But Kylie couldn't be happier. She was instantly brought back to the night before, the question Daryl had asked her rolling around her head.

Without a doubt in her mind she would stay with Daryl no matter where he went, no questions asked. And in moments like this, and last night, she knew that she would never be happier than she was when she was with him. Whether they spent days on end on a hunt, or just sitting together in front of the campfire. No matter where he went, Kylie knew that she would follow.

"Should be gettin' closer now" Daryl spoke up as he sank to the ground next to her. Kylie just nodded and handed him the water bottle. "Tracks are gettin' clearer, should bag it before sundown."

"Dress and ready what we can out here, then bring it back to camp" Kylie nodded knowingly.

"Yea, then I'll show ya how to dry the meat. Make us some jerky" he told her.

"Sounds good to me" Kylie smiled, tightening her ponytail. "I got a few books a while back on, like, edible plants and stuff. But nothing on making jerky or anything" she added. Daryl just hummed in response; knowing that without him around to teach her, Kylie would have to learn on her own. He supposed books would do the trick.

"Come on, Ky, we got us a hog to find." And with that, they were back on the trail.

* * *

 **AN: I still can't get over how adorable Kylie and Daryl are. How do you guys feel about Kylie sorta going back to her old self, but only around Daryl? It was hard for me to find a way to make her cold and standoffish towards him. Especially since he was all she thought about when she was by herself.**

 **So yea, Andrea interrupted a nice night between our couple. Granted, Kylie's 'blow-up' at Andrea wasn't as big as I wanted it to be. But having an all out brawl between the two didn't work in this chapter. Either way, I wanted to show how Kylie's feelings towards Andrea have progressed since the C.D.C. Just because Kylie's been away for a while, doesn't mean that she has forgotten about how disappointed she is in the blonde. And I think that it definitely shows. For the most part.**

 **How did you guys feel about Daryl asking Kylie to leave with him? Were you guys expecting it, or did it throw you off? What about Kylie's answer? How do you guys feel about that?**

 **Gahh, so much but so little happened in this chapter, it's hard to think of what to ask you guys lol.**

 **Coming Up Next On ' _In The End_ ': Kylie and Daryl have a heart to heart and Kylie calls Shane out on his dickishness, so come back sunday to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: OMG LAST NIGHT EPISODE WAS SOOOOO INTENSE! I swear I almost had like ten emotional breakdowns. But it was cool to see a moto-vlogger my boyfriend and I follow...even though he got blown up lol. That poor poor motorcycle :'(. And of course _had_ to do a little happy dance when Father Useless finally grew a pair. Granted I still don't like him and I don't think I ever will, lol. What are you guys' thoughts on the episode? I'd love to hear them!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty Three**

They had found the hog. Only walkers had found it first. Kylie growled in frustration before implanting an arrow into each of their skulls. She knew that they would be fine on meat, but she was really hoping that the hog hunt would end in success. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as she planted herself on the ground next to the dead walkers and gnawed on hog, sighing as she ran a hand over her tired face.

"Ky..." Daryl's voice broke through her dazed state. Turning her head to look at the hunter, she saw him kneeling a distance away looking at tracks. "Think we might bag us a deer instead" he told her with a smirk.

"Still haven't gotten me that venison, Dixon" Kylie joked, standing from her spot from the ground before walking over to him. "So same plan, different game?" she said a moment later as she, took, looked at the clear deer tracks. Daryl just nodded in agreement before shouldering his crossbow and began following the tracks.

The duo walked in silence for another hour, Kylie taking out a few walkers as Daryl kept his focus on the tracks. Only stopping a few short seconds while Kylie went to retrieve her arrows before continuing on.

"We're not gunna be back till tomorrow night at the earliest, huh?" Kylie sighed as her and Daryl skinned a few squirrels for their dinner. The man just hummed in response as he worked on skinning his squirrel. "For the best, I suppose, won't have to hear any complaining from the group" she added with a shrug, placing her skinned squirrel over the fire.

When they were finished with their small dinner, Daryl offered to take first watch while Kylie got some rest. Pulling out her pink blanket, the woman wrapped it around her body and leaned against the hard bark of the tree. But sleep didn't find her, it never did when she was in the woods. Her body was too alert for sleep. So instead she just rested, snuggled beneath her blanket with her eyes closed.

Daryl knew she wasn't sleeping, of course, as he sat near her with his crossbow in his lap. His eyes would drift to their surroundings before moving to his companions form. When he had asked her if she wanted to leave with him, if and when the group finally broke completely, he wasn't expecting her to automatically answer with a yes. The hunter figured that she would think over her answer, especially after being away from her family and friends for so long. But she said yes, no questions asked, and that gave him a warm feeling in his chest.

During their month apart, she was never far from his thoughts. After their drunken, lust filled night at the CDC, Daryl found himself thinking about Kylie in a more than friendly way. Especially when she told him that she had wanted him ever since their first hunt together. And he would be lying if he said that he hadn't thought about it too.

When she disappeared with Sophia, he wanted nothing more than to bring them back safe and sound. Even when the trail went cold, Daryl never gave up on finding the two of them. It wasn't until the walker-version of Sophia walked out of that barn that Daryl began having doubts. But he still never truly gave up on finding Kylie. Only for her to run into the old man in a bar of all places.

"You okay?" Kylie's quiet voice broke through the silence, causing Daryl to jump slightly at the sound.

"Yea" he sighed, gazing into their small campfire.

"I know you better than that, Daryl" Kylie told him sternly. She was silent for a moment, and Daryl could hear her moving from her spot against the tree. "Tell me what's on your mind" she told him as she sat down next to him. Instantly, Daryl moved his crossbow from his lap so that she could put her blanket over the both of them, her head finding it's way to his shoulder.

"You" he answered without hesitation. A moment later, Daryl realized that the woman at his side would want him to elaborate. So he sighed and continued on, his arm wrapping lazily around her. "Thought about you a lot, when you were gone" he told her, his thumb rubbing absentmindedly at the small bare patch of skin at her hip.

"Me too" Kylie nodded against his shoulder. "Every time I would make a trap or skin a squirrel, I would think about you. That started to depress me, so..." Kylie sighed "I stopped. Then I found my bow and everything came back to me. Everything you taught me, everything I watched you do came back to me and you were just stuck in my head." She was quiet for a moment, but when she spoke again, Daryl could hear the sadness in her voice. "After I killed those two guys I couldn't help but think that you would be disappointed in me. That when we saw each other again you would see me as some kind of...monster."

Her words caused Daryl's grip to tighten on her hip, easily pulling her closer. "I told you already, you did good." But Kylie just nodded. Rolling his eyes at her stubbornness, Daryl shifted slightly so that he could pull her into his lap. With one hand still on her hip, Daryl's fingers curled under her chin and gently forced her blue eyes to meet his. "You ain't no monster, Ky. You took care of yourself. If I was there, they'd've been on the floor with an arrow in the eye before they could even think of touching you."

Not even a second later, Kylie was kissing him deeply. Hunger hidden behind the gentleness of her lips. She knew that they couldn't do anything at the moment, not when a walker could stumble upon them at any given moment. So she settled for the kisses and the closeness.

After their heavy make out session, Kylie settled herself on Daryl's lap. Sleep finally finding her as she nuzzled her face into his neck and breathed in his scent.

* * *

Their hunt for the deer had ended in success. After skinning and gutting the animal as best as they could in the woods, they broke down the corpse even more in order to make carrying it back to camp easier.

It was late when Kylie and Daryl stumbled their way back to camp. They had already split the meat between themselves and the main group, setting both portions on drying racks to preserve the meat for a while longer. If the group had been worried about them being out in the woods longer than expected, they didn't show it. Instead they expressed their relief that the two hunters had returned safely, and thanked them for the meat.

After setting the groups meat on the drying racks, Daryl decided that they would stay and have dinner with the rest of the group. Something Kylie was still uncomfortable with, but agreed to none the less. She didn't really talk with anyone except for Glenn, Rick and Daryl. Maggie even joined them not to long after Carl was sent to bed.

"So, Lee, when you gunna tell us what happened to you out there?" Shane's voice spoke up, a sick grin on his face. His question caused Kylie to freeze from her spot between Daryl and Maggie.

Silence surrounded the fire, and Kylie could feel almost everyone's eyes on her. The only one who knew exactly what she had done was Daryl. Rick had an idea, but didn't know the details.

"Nows not the time, Shane" Rick warned the man darkly.

"Nah man, she comes back here, covered in blood and not talking to anyone. Makes me think something happened out there" Shane's care was fake, Kylie knew that. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the man.

"Act like you care" Kylie scoffed.

"Lee..." Rick tried, but Kylie cut him off instantly.

"No, Rick. I'm not fucking stupid. I know that only a few of you actually cared on our location. I know that most of you gave up after two fucking days!" she growled. It wasn't until Daryl put a calming hand on her knee that Kylie took a deep breath, this time choosing her words carefully. "You're right, Shane" she finally continued, looking at her uncle's former partner "Some heavy shit happened to me out there. But I got through it, on my own. I survived."

There was silence after that. No one wanted to comment, no one wanted to ask what she had to live through.

* * *

 **AN: It's that time again everybody! I swear I've been waiting for this since last Monday, lol. I just absolutely LOVE giving you guys new chapters, lol. Speaking of new chapters, I just finished writing season 2 of _In The End_! I swear, I almost cried when I typed up the last sentence. I couldn't believe that I had not only finished one, but TWO full seasons of one of my favorite stories. And yes, _In The End_ is one of my favorite stories, I actually read it for kicks from time to time, lol. GAHHHHH I just can't wait to give you guys the rest of Season 2!**

 **So anyways, yea, there was some awesome fluff between Kylie and Daryl, where Daryl had to reassure Kylie AGAIN that she did the right thing in killing the men in the pharmacy. It's something that weighs heavily on our girls mind. Killing another human being isn't as easy as most think it is. Granted, yes, those men where going to rape and kill Kylie, but that doesn't matter. It was still a human life, and that is bound to have repercussions.**

 **Originally, in this chapter, I wanted some smut. After Daryl's little confession, I planned on them getting down and dirty in the woods. But no matter what I did, it didn't work. So I trashed the idea. But we got a decent amount of fluff, so it's okay, lol.**

 **Shane. Grr, just the name pisses me off. Since the beginning, we have seen Shane try and rope Kylie in With Lori, Carol and the other women and children. Even though he has known her for years, and knows that she has always been able to handle herself. Kylie's not stupid, from the moment she stepped foot on the farm, she knew something was wrong with Shane. So I wanted to have a small little discussion between the two. And in true Shane fashion, he was a dick.**

 **Coming Up Next On _In The End_ : A mildly uplifting conversation between Lori, Maggie and Kylie. And Kylie flips her shit. So come back TOMORROW to see what happens!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty Four**

The rest of the week went by in a blur. And soon enough, Rick and Shane were on their way to drop Randall good distance away from the farm. Kylie had wanted to go with her uncle, but he had simply given her a look that said to stay put. That he had something to deal with alone and Kylie understood completely. Since her return she had seen the change in Shane, and Rick needed to deal with that. Along with the... _personal_ issues between the old friends.

While Daryl was on watch, Kylie decided to help Lori and Maggie with lunch. She was trying to make an effort to integrate herself back into the group.

"Rick say anything to you about Glenn when they got back from town?" Kylie heard Maggie ask as soon as she stepped through the door.

"Just that it had gotten pretty bad" was Lori's response.

"He's not the same" Maggie sighed "says he froze."

"He didn't freeze" Kylie scoffed as she picked up a knife and began slicing a tomato. "Okay, so maybe he did, but it was more of a...' _I need to weigh my options_ ' freeze than a ' _I'm scared shitless_ ' freeze."

"He blames me" Maggie continued, glancing over at Kylie. "Says I got inside his head."

"He came back" Lori told the woman "That's what matters. Men have to do certain things, you know that. And they're either gunna blame the little woman as the reason they do or the reason they don't." Lori paused for a moment, turning away from them and walked over to the sink. "I'll tell you something, what happens out there, happens out there and we...we're just trying to keep it together until they get back."

"Things were good. Maybe I..." Maggie started, but Lori cut her off.

"Glenn's a big boy, he makes his own choices and then you...do you have anything to apologize for?" Lori asked, but Maggie just shook her head. "Tell him to man up and pull himself together..." she trailed off for a second before continuing. "Just don't say 'man up'" she chuckled, causing Kylie and Maggie to giggle as well.

"I can. I'm not the one who _loooves_ him" Kylie teased her new friend, earning herself a light shove. "But Lori's right, telling a guy to man up never goes well" she laughed.

"Let me just get this to Beth" Maggie said a moment later, moving to pick up the plate of chicken and vegetables, but Lori stopped her.

"You go on. I got it" the older woman smiled, picking up the tray of food.

There was silence in the kitchen as Kylie propped herself up on the counter with a few slices of cucumber in her hand. Maggie sighed before picking up a dish towel and began cleaning up the mess her and Lori had made.

"Lori's right, you know" Kylie said, nibbling on the green veggie in her hand. "For the most part. I mean, you didn't do anything wrong. Like I told you the night I came here, Glenn's a guy and guy's are stupid" she smiled, tugging on the hem of her blue long sleeve shirt. It was then that Maggie noticed the tank top she wore over it, causing her to laugh.

"Reminds me of the time I called Glenn 'walker bait'" she giggled, Kylie laughed as well. Wiping her hands off on her slightly stained ripped jeans, Kylie jumped off the counter as soon as she heard Lori walking back towards them.

"How's the cleanup going?" Lori asked as she walked back through the door way.

"Ugh, I hate cleaning" Kylie groaned.

"Yea, you'd rather get _dirty_ " Maggie teased. She was the only one who knew about the complicated relationship Kylie had with Daryl.

"Zip it, Magpie" Kylie growled, causing Maggie to giggle lightly.

"I'm not even gunna ask" Lori smiled, raising her hands in the air.

"I'm gunna see if Daryl wants some company with the rest of his watch. Make sure he's eaten" Kylie huffed, flicking Maggie's ear when she walked passed.

Once she was outside, away from the cramped quarters of the kitchen, Kylie let out a breath. She had been faking, that much was obvious. By the time she made it to where Daryl was supposed to be, Kylie realized that he had already been relived from his watch by Andrea. Not wanting to be around the blonde, Kylie turned to walk away only to see Lori running towards them.

"Kylie, Andrea, have either of you seen Maggie or Hershel?" the woman asked, obviously flustered.

"Haven't seen Hershel, but I saw Maggie and Glenn walk by a few minutes ago" Andrea informed.

"What's going on Lori?" Kylie asked.

"Could you find her for me, I gotta get back to the house" Lori responded, not answering Kylie's question.

"Of course" Andrea nodded.

"I'll go back with you" Kylie told her aunt. Lori nodded appreciatively and the two of them ran bac to the Green home. "What's going on, Lor?" she asked after they had been standing in the kitchen for a few minutes.

"I went up to get Beth's plate" Lori started with a shaky sigh. "The knife wasn't on the tray. I think she was planning on killing herself or something" she said. The words caused Kylie's breath to leave her. She understood why Beth would think of that option, especially after everything.

"Shit" Kylie breathed as she leaned against the door jam and ran a hand over her tired face.

A short few minute later, Maggie came rushing into the house with Andrea. And after Lori told her what had happened, Maggie instantly rushed off to confront her little sister. The three women were silent as they listened to the yelling coming from the two Greens.

"Where's Hershel?" Andrea asked.

"He doesn't want to find out yet" Lori responded from her spot on the counter.

"It's a family thing, ain't our business. Let them work it out" Kylie nodded.

"That's working it out?" Andrea almost scoffed, jerking her head in the direction of Beth's room.

"When Beth stops fighting, then it's time to worry" Lori stated.

"This could have been handled better" Andrea sighed.

"How so?" Lori asked.

"You shouldn't have taken the knife away" the blonde told them, causing Kylie to raise in eyebrow at her.

"Excuse me?" Lori asked, turning away from the sink to look at Andrea.

"You were wrong" she shrugged "like Dale taking my gun, That wasn't your decision. She has to choose to live on her own. She has to find her own reasons."

"Want us to tie the noose for her, too?" Kylie scoffed.

"If she's serious, she'll figure out a way" came Andrea's response.

"Doesn't mean we can't stop her" Lori said "or let her know that we care."

"That has nothing to do with it Lori" Andrea said, causing Kylie to scoff. "She only has so many choices in front of her. She thinks suicide is the best option."

"Suicide is _not_ an option" Kylie shook her head.

"Of course it is" Andrea stated almost too nonchalantly. "She doesn't need to be yelled at or treated like a child."

"Yea she needs a loaded gun, right?" Kylie said, sarcasm dripping like venom from her lips.

"You'll understand if I don't send you in there" Lori followed up.

"I came through it" the delusional blonde defended.

"Yea and became _such_ a productive member of the group" Kylie scoffed.

"I contribute, I help keep this place safe" Andrea defended herself once more.

"Yea by shooting the one person who is keeping you feed" Kylie scoffed " _Real_ productive there."

"The men can handle this on their own" Lori stated, causing Kylie to roll her eyes. "They don't need your help." A small part of Kylie felt as if Lori's words weren't meant for just Andrea. But as much as she wanted to speak up, she didn't. Mostly because Andrea beat her to the punch.

"I'm sorry, and what would you have me do?" Andrea asked.

"Plenty of work to go around" Lori responded.

"Are you serious?" Andrea scoffed. "Everything falls apart, and your in my face about skipping laundry?"

"It puts a burden on the rest of us. On me, Patricia, Carol and Maggie. Cooking, cleaning and caring for Beth." Lori said. Kylie bit her lip, she hadn't been helping much either. In the passed week, she had only washed her and Daryl's clothes. Not that either of them cared if there was blood and dirt messing up the fabric. "And you..." Lori continued "You don't care about anyone but yourself. You sit up on that R.V working on your tan with a shotgun on your lap."

"No, I am on watch against walkers" Andrea took the defensive once more. "That is what matters. Not fresh mint leaves in the lemonade."

"We are providing stability. We are trying to create a life worth living."

"Are you kidding me?" Andrea scoffed at Lori's words. "What about Kylie, huh? In the past week I haven't seen her lift a finger to help. Why aren't you in her face about it?"

"How'd you like your breakfast Andrea?" Kylie finally spoke up. "You know, the deer jerky I spent two days in the woods tracking, killing and gutting while almost dying in the process?" That seemed to shut Andrea up on the subject. "Yea, I don't do laundry for ya'll. But at least your ungrateful ass has a full belly." There was silence for a minute before Kylie spoke again. "At least I'm not gunning down the more _productive_ members of the group."

Then, without a word edgewise, Kylie left the house.

* * *

 **AN: as promised, here's chapter 34!**

 **So obviously I wanted to show that Kylie's at least making some kind of effort to bring her self back into the fold of the group. Sure she's gotten a little rougher, but she knows how to fake her old personality. I feel like we see a little bit of both in this chapter. First with the conversation between Maggie and Kylie, and then again with the confrontation between Kylie and Andrea.**

 **Okay so with the conversation between Maggie and Kylie(and sort of Lori), yay Maggie has her very own 'Kylie-Nickname'! From the beginning I knew that I wanted Kylie and Maggie to be really close friends. And when the whole 'Mushu' thing with Glenn came out of left field, I figured that Maggie needs a nickname of her own. 'Magpie' is actually my beagle's nickname, her full name is Maggie Mae. We got her around the same time as Maggie's big 'I'm Pregnant' reveal. And things started getting kinda confusing in my house, lol.**

 **SO ANYWAYS, enough about my dog, lol. The tank-top that Kylie is wearing is a Finding Nemo shirt that says 'Shark bait, Hoo Ha Ha.' I'm sure some of you have seen it, lol. Originally, before I separated Kylie from the group, I was planning on having her wear the shirt during the 'Well-Walker' incident. Because it was funny and it fit. But my plans got all turned around.**

 **And Andrea. Ugh, honestly that woman pisses me off. I mean, even when she was trying to keep the peace with the Governor and stuff, she still irritated me. So I conveyed that with Kylie. As we can see, Kylie's irritation with the blonde idiot was not forgotten in their month apart. Personally I loved Kylie's blow up at Andrea. Though the rant prolly could have been longer and more physically painful for Andrea, lol.**

 **Coming Up Next On ' _In The End':_ Kylie tries to ease some tension, we learn a little more about our girls past, some mild cuddly-ness at the Dixon-Grimes camp and Rick asks our favorite duo a favor. So come back Sunday to see what happens!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: OMFGGGG RICHONNEEEEEE! As ya'll can see, I'm really excited about last nights episode. Not only because of the one canon relationship that I know a majority of fans have been waiting for since forever. But because of the Daryl/Rick bromance awesomeness. I'm really glad they showed us just how close those to men have be come. And of course, I have _MANY MANY_ ideas, lol.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty Five**

Kylie didn't go back to her and Daryl's tent like she originally planned. Instead, she sat herself down on the porch swing with a heavy sigh. Lately it seemed as if Daryl's idea of leaving and fending for themselves was the best plan. Things weren't the same as she had left them over a month ago.

Curling her legs under herself, Kylie mulled over the words that had been spoken not that long ago. She didn't regret a word that she had said. But Kylie also saw the point in some of the words that Andrea said, even though it killed her to admit it. It couldn't just be down to the men to go on supply runs and protect the group from walkers. The other women needed to know how to protect themselves as well. What if large group of walkers found them like at the quarry or on the highway? What if another group of dangerous men found them?

When she heard the screen door open and shut, Kylie snapped out of her thoughts. Only to see Maggie walk out of the house. Offering a smile and a nod, Kylie silently reassured her new friend that everything would be alright. Even though Kylie didn't truly believe it herself.

About fifteen minutes later, after Maggie walked back to the house to check on her sister, Kylie sensed that something was wrong. So she stood from the bench swing with a stretch and followed.

As soon as she entered, Kylie heard banging and Maggie calling out for Beth. Instantly Kylie was at attention and rushed to the young blondes bedroom, with Lori hot on her heels.

"What's going on?" Kylie asked when she saw Maggie banging on Beth's locked bathroom door.

"She's in there, I heard glass" Maggie told them as she tried to jiggle the door open.

"Beth, you alright?" Lori asked, joining Maggie at the door.

"Beth don't do this. Open the door, please!" Maggie begged. "God, I left her with Andrea" she added, turning from the door and going over to Beth's vanity to search for the key.

"Where's the key?" Lori asked, but Maggie didn't have a clue.

"Fuck a key" Kylie grumbled, pulling her lock pick set from her pocket. "Lock picks. Never leave home without them. Learned that when I was fourteen" she tried to joke as she knelt in front of the door and began working on the lock.

Not even a minute later, the door swung open to reveal a sobbing Beth Green. Her pale wrist covered in blood.

"I'm sorry" was all the blonde said before Maggie rushed into the bathroom to console her sister. Letting out a sigh of relief, Kylie grabbed a face cloth and handed it to her friend to help slow the bleeding. From where she stood, Kylie could tell that the cut wasn't deep, but if Beth had been left alone. Well the results could have been far worse.

While Kylie and Maggie stayed with Beth, Lori went to get Hershel. The three young women were silent, save for Beth who was still crying on her sister's shoulder.

"Is it alright if I...if I stay?" Kylie asked when Hershel finally came. Looking up at the young brunette, Hershel nodded. Accepting his answer, Kylie sat at Beth's side, running a hand through the girl's messy blonde locks while Hershel stitched his daughter's wrist. "You know..." Kylie cleared her throat. "When I was a kid, 'bout thirteen years old, I started hanging out with some bad people" she told the two other people in the room. "Momma died a few years earlier and daddy was always working. I needed some kind of escape, I didn't wanna die. But I didn't really wanna live either. Taking my own life wasn't an option, so I made choices that could kill me. Started doing drugs, got into a shit ton of fights." Glancing at the old man, she saw him nod for her to continue her story, so she did.

"I was at a party one night. To this day I couldn't tell ya whose house it was, or even what town we were in. All I know is that I took something, and I overdosed. When I was at the hospital, the doctors said it was a heavy cocktail of different things. Narcotics, bunch of other stuff. Daddy wasn't there, but Rick was" Kylie said softly.

"That's when you went to live with him and Lori?" Hershel asked, and Kylie nodded.

"Yea" she said. "I always tell people that my dad couldn't take what I was doing anymore and kicked me out. But that's only part of it." Kylie paused for a moment and looked down at the sutures. "I know that the situations are different" she added "but that feeling. That complete and utter... _hopelessness_. That's the same. And Beth..." Kylie trailed off, waiting for a response from the girl. "If you ever need someone to talk to about this. About _anything_. An unbiased ear, well I got two of 'em."

* * *

Rick and Shane had returned, just before sunset. With Randall. Both men looked like shit, in Kylie's opinion. And it wasn't hard for Kylie to put two and two together. After cleaning themselves up, Rick went to Kylie and Daryl's campsite where his niece and the hunter where sitting in front of their small fire.

"Daryl" Rick nodded to the man. "I wanted to run something by you..."

"Well, go on then" Daryl responded.

"I was wondering if..." Rick trailed off with a sigh. "I was wondering if you would be willing to...talk with Randall?" There was a beat of silence around the fire, before Kylie met Daryl's eye and spoke up.

"We'll do it in the morning"

"Lee you're not..."

"No Rick" Kylie cut her uncle off. "Mother fucker shot me. Two inches over and he could have killed me. I'm going in there with Daryl, end of story." she stated, causing Rick to sigh. Looking over at Daryl for back up, only to get none. Both men knew that if Kylie wanted to do something, there was no stopping her.

"In the morning" Rick nodded before bidding the two good night and walking back to the main camp.

Once Rick was a blur in the distance, Kylie went over to her Bronco to try the C.B once more. With a cigarette between her fingers, she switched through the stations, trying to find the person she was looking for. The handle he had used was eerily familiar.

"You know" Daryl's voice spoke from the outside of the open driver's side door "You never told me why finding this guy was so important."

"Just don't feel right about leaving some poor guy out there alone" she shrugged.

"Bull" Daryl responded with a slight scoff. Sighing, Kylie ran a hand through her slowly fading highlights and turned to face the hunter.

"When I was younger" she started "I met this guy. He was a year or two older than me, he showed me everything I needed to know about the 'crime-life.'" Daryl nodded for her to continue "Once I was I was fully integrated into the crew, I thought it would be fun for us to all have handles. Since it was my idea, Dom told me that I had to come up with the names, and we'd go from there."

"Pixie Dust and D-Pooly" Daryl nodded in understanding, causing Kylie to giggle lightly.

"Yea" she smiled. "Some where Disney related, others came from comics. A couple of the guys complained, so they were the ones with chopped versions of their actual names. _Lame_."

"So you think this guy on the C.B is the same guy?" Daryl asked, stepping between her knees and gripping her thighs lightly.

"I have no clue, but he's using the same handle that I personally gave Dom" Kylie shrugged. "So I guess I can only hope."

The duo returned to their fire a minute later. Instead of sitting in her own chair, Kylie curled up on Daryl's lap, her head on his shoulder while his thumbs traced light designs on her bare thighs. They were silent, both taking in the events of the day and mulling over what they were going to do in the morning. It was going to change the group, they both knew that.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Daryl smirked against her hair. Kylie shifted slightly on his lap so that she could look at him properly.

"Of course" she scoffed playfully.

 **AN: Okay so first of all I want to apologize for not posting yesterday. Honestly I don't have that many chapters left to post for S2, and I want to make them last as long as I can. Just so you guys know, after I finish season two, _In The End_ might go on a short break. Mostly because I have a lot of stories that I have been neglecting and I want to stockpile chapters for them too.**

 **But since my plan is to do a few chapters covering the winter months between seasons 2 and 3, I can work on _In The End_ as well as my other stories. So hopefully I can periodically post the 'in-between' chapters. **

**Anyways, so what did you all think of this chapter? I really wasn't planning on putting Kylie's two stories in here, like at all, but as I was writing it just sort of happened. And personally I'm glad for that. I'm glad that I got t show you more bits and pieces of Kylie's past. Plus we got lots of bonding between characters. I think, more than anyone, Kylie got through to Beth with her story. Because Kylie actually understands what she is going through. Too some extent.**

 **And then of course the Darlie awesomeness. Gawd, I love writing them together sooooooooooooooo much! Lol. The plans I have for the two of them...well I can't wait to share them with ya'll lol.**

 **Coming Up Next On _In The End_ : Some torture, some answers. And a little surprise. So come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty Six**

Kylie and Daryl were in the shed, trying to get information out of Randall. Daryl had tried telling the woman to stay with the rest of the group while he talked with the kid, but true to her nature...Kylie wouldn't hear of it.

Though Daryl was the one truly questioning Randall, Kylie would pipe up every now and again. A knife in her hand, while she sat on the work table cleaning the dirt underneath her nails. She didn't even flinch as Daryl threw yet another punch and connected with Randall's already bloody and bruised face.

"I told you..." Randall started.

"You ain't told me shit!" Daryl growled back, lifting the kid by his shirt and slamming him to the wall.

"I barely knew those guys!" Randall pleaded "I met 'em on the road!"

"How many in your group?" Kylie asked, not looking up from her work. But Randall didn't answer as he groaned in pain.

"Oh, no no no no no...come on man" she heard Randall plead. Looking up, Kylie saw Daryl pull his hunting knife and she smirked as he did so.

"My girl asked you a question" Daryl said, before rushing forward and slamming his knife to the ground right beside Randall's injured leg. "How many?!"

"Th-thirty. Thirty guys" Randall stammered and Kylie could hear the pure fear in the kid's voice.

"Where?" Daryl asked. When Randall faltered in his answer, Kylie hopped off the table and walked over to them. Without blinking, she ripped the gauze from his still healing wound. As soon as the material as tossed aside, Daryl took his knife from the ground and pressed the blade against the scabbing hole in Randall's leg.

"I don't know, I swear!" the kid said. "We were never any place more than a night!"

"Scoutin'?" Daryl asked, the tip of his blade slowly working at the scab. "Plannin' on stayin' local?"

"I-I don't know! Th-They left me behind!" Randall stammered, his eyes shifting from the blade to Daryl's angry face.

"Randall, you ever pick off a scab?" Kylie asked, flicking the blade in his leg. The action caused the boy to whimper.

"Come on, man, I-I'm tryin' to cooperate!" Randall tried.

"You start off real slow at first" Daryl continued, rotating the blade in Randall's wound. "Sooner or later you just gotta rip it off" he growled. Seeing that Daryl had things handled, Kylie stood and went back over to the table. Watching the scene unfold.

"Okay okay!" Randall shouted "Th-They have weapons. Heavy stuff, automatics. B-But I didn't do anything!" he defended, causing Kylie to raise a brow. Looking over his shoulder, Daryl met Kylie's eye before glancing at her healed shoulder and continuing.

"Your boys shot at my boys" he said. "Tried to take this farm. You just went along for the ride. You shot my girl. You tryna tell me you're innocent!" Daryl growled out.

"Yes!" Randall huffed "I-I didn't know I shot her! I swear, I'm not that good of a shot. I thought I missed!" he tried to cover, causing Kylie to huff and roll her eyes. "Th-These people took me in" the kid continued "Not just guys. A whole group of 'em. Men and women, kids too...just like you people!"

Since Randall seemed to be cooperating for the time being, Daryl stood and back off, letting the kid continue. Though his knife didn't leave his hand.

"Thought I'd have a better chance with them, you know?" Randall continued "But...we go out, scavenge, just the men." He paused, taking a breath and Kylie could tell that he was trying to choose what he said next very carefully. "One night we...we found this little campsite. A man and his two daughters. Teenagers, you know? Real young. Real cute" the words made Kylie's stomach lurch. She knew where the story was heading. Daryl seemed to know as well as he turned back to face Randall. "Their daddy had to watch while these guys they...and they didn't even kill him afterwards. They just...They just made him watch as his daughters...they j-just left him there..."

The air in the humid shed suddenly turned cold as Daryl turned his gaze back on Randall. Kylie's grip on her knife tightened, she knew what those men had done. They were planning on doing the same to her, only she took them down before they got a chance.

"No, Bu-but I-I didn't touch those girls!" Randall defended himself. "No, I swear I didn't tou..." but he was cut off my Daryl's boot connecting to his gut. The kid tried pleading, saying that he was different from the men. But Daryl wasn't hearing it as he kicked Randall repeatedly. Only when the kid was unconscious did he stop.

"Now what?" Kylie asked from her perch on the table. Daryl was breathing heavily when he turned to face her, walking over to grab his button-up and vest. Silently, he took them from her, pulling them on before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"We gotta tell the others" he told her, and Kylie nodded, hoping off the table and shouldering her crossbow as Daryl did the same.

They walked from the shed in silence. Neither one speaking as they approached the group. Kylie shifted under the other's gaze, feeling as if they could sense what had gone down in the shed.

"Boy there's got gang, thirty men" Daryl informed as soon as they were close enough. "They have heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here and our boys are dead. And our women, they're gunna..." he trailed off, his gaze shifting to Kylie "They're gunna wish they were."

"What did you do?" Carol asked, taking in Daryl's bloodied knuckles.

"Had a little chat" Daryl told her before leading Kylie away from the group.

Again they were silent as they walked towards one of the many well's on the Green's property. Dropping their bows on the ground, Daryl sat while Kylie wet her bandanna and began cleaning the blood from Daryl's knuckles.

"So..." Kylie started as she wiped away the blood. "back in there, when we were having that chat with Randall, you called me your girl. Not once but twice." Daryl just hummed in response, causing Kylie to roll her eyes and stop what she was doing. "Seriously, Daryl, what was that about?" she asked.

She was caught by surprise when Daryl's lips found hers. Shock hit her at first, but she instantly responded, the bandanna falling to the ground, forgotten, as the kiss deepened. Pouting when Daryl pulled away.

"It ain't obvious?" his rough voice found her ears. Kylie smiled instantly before nodding her head and kissing him once more.

"Yea" she said against his lips. "Yea it's pretty obvious."

* * *

 **AN: so it finally happened! Darlie is now official! I have been waiting to make them official since I first started planning this story, lol. It was just a matter of time.**

 **Personally, I am so super happy with this chapter. For many reason. One, Kylie's change is a little more prominent. Before, in season one, she would have flinched at Daryl's 'questioning' of Randall, at the very least. Hell, she probably wouldn't have been in the shed with him to begin with. Maybe just outside of it, waiting, but not taking part.**

 **And of course there's the obvious reason to be happy with this chapter...DARYL AND KYLIE ARE FINALLY TOGETHER! Now I know that for most of us, Daryl and Kylie were already a thing, but to just have it be _official_ is just surreal. I tried to keep Daryl in character during that scene the best I could, so I hope I didn't disappoint! **

**Coming Up Next On _In The End:_ Dale assumes he knows who Kylie is now, Kylie stands by Daryl, and a question is answered. So come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

They had gone back to their small campsite, wanting to spend a little bit of alone time together. Both of them needed to unwind from the morning's events. And even though Kylie had a decent stockpile of arrows in her Bronco, Daryl still insisted that they make more. So while he went through the pile of sticks, Kylie sat in her camp chair and began flipping through a book of medicinal plants and herbs.

During her time alone, Kylie had raided the small bookstore in town. She didn't grab much, just some random survival books and a couple of others to keep her mind entertained. What wasn't in the books, Kylie believed she would figure out through trial and error.

With a sigh, she snapped her book shut. Just as she heard footsteps approaching the small campsite. Daryl seemed to hear the footsteps as well, Kylie noticed that he just barely faltered in his task.

"The whole point of us coming up here was to get away from you people" the man growled. Looking over to him, Kylie saw that he was talking to Dale.

"Gunna take more than that" Dale told them, sending a small nod in Kylie's direction as she walked over to the two men.

"Carol send you?" Daryl asked as he inspected his already made arrows.

"Carol's not the only one concerned about you. Your new...role in the group" Dale said.

"Man I don't need my head shrunk" Daryl scoffed. "This group's broken. "Ky and I are better of fendin' for ourselves."

"You act like you don't care" Dale stated as Daryl grabbed his vest and long sleeve button up from where he had hung it on the decrepit old chimney.

"Yea, cuz I don't" was Daryl answer as he shrugged on his outerwear.

"So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" Dale asked.

"Nope" Kylie piped up for the both of them, giving nothing more than a shrug of her shoulder.

"Then why don't you two stand with me, try to save the kids life. If it really doesn't matter one way or the other?" the old man suggested.

"Didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch" Daryl responded.

"Your opinion makes a difference" Dale told Daryl "Yours as well, Kylie" he added, causing Kylie to scoff lightly.

"Man ain't nobody lookin' at me for nothin'" Daryl responded as he picked up his crossbow, motioning for Kylie to do the same. They had some hunting to do do.

"Carol is" Dale said as the two hunters began walking away. "Kylie does. I am, right now" Dale paused for a moment before continuing. "And obviously you have Rick's ear."

"Rick just looks to Shane" Daryl responded easily.

"Let him" Kylie added as she readjusted her jacket and button up.

"You cared about what happened to Sophia. The both of you" Dale's words caused the both of them to stop short. Sophia's death still weighed heavily on Kylie's mind and it hurt to even think about how she had failed the little girl. "Cared what it meant to the group." Dale paused for a moment as Daryl walked back towards him. " _Torturing_ people! That's not you. Either of you. You're both decent people. So is Rick. Shane...he's different."

"Why's that?" Daryl asked "Cuz he killed Otis?"

"He tell you that?" Dale asked, slowly coming closer to Daryl.

"He told some story" Daryl scoffed. "How Otis covered him, saved his ass. He showed up with a dead guy's gun" Kylie had heard the story. About how when Carl was shot, Shane and Otis went to the high school to get the things Hershel needed for surgery. How Otis had sacrificed himself so that Shane could come back and save Carl. She knew that something else had to have happened. That something other than walkers had to have killed the man.

"Rick ain't stupid" Kylie said. "If he didn't figure that out it's because he didn't want to."

"It's like I said" Daryl continued, turning away from Dale "This groups broken." And with that, the two hunters stalked off into the woods.

They walked through the trees in silence, as usual. The need to talk didn't come to Daryl and Kylie often. For those first few weeks at the quarry, Kylie would try incessantly to get the man to talk to her on their hunts. Eventually, however, she learned how to communicate with him silently.

Kylie knew that they weren't scouting for game, she knew that Daryl just wanted to peace and quiet that the forest brought. After spending weeks in these woods by herself, she truly saw the appeal. She was just happy that Daryl brought her with him, instead of going off on his own.

"I think we should prepare" Kylie finally spoke up, causing her companion to look at her curiously. "Didn't we agree that if the group finally broke, we'd leave?" she asked, Daryl just hummed in agreement. "We should pack up the essentials, we can put them in the Bronco. Just in case."

"Yea" Daryl nodded. "You sure it's still what you want?" he asked her.

Kylie just smiled and took his hand in hers. "You're what I want, Daryl. Thought we established that?"

They we silent once more as they began walking back to the farm. It was almost time for the group vote. The entire time, Daryl never let go of Kylie's hand. Something that both surprised and warmed Kylie.

"So you never told me" Kylie said as they reached the treeline. "What's with the walker ears hanging next to the squirrel skins?" she asked. Daryl just looked over to their campsite before looking down at the brunette next to him. Smirking, he put his arm over her shoulders and pulled her to him.

"Trophies."

* * *

 **AN: okay so apparently this chapter is the shortest chapter I've written in forever. But I hope you guys enjoyed it anyways. Honestly, I had half a mind to have Kylie tell Dale her story, but decided against it. I also hated writing Kylie being so... idk _cold_ towards Dale. But it was necessary. **

**For a while, around the time I first saw S2, I was curious about the whole 'walker-ear-necklace' thing. Didn't take me long to figure it out though, lol. Daryl is a hunter. Hunters will sometimes keep trophies of their kills. Especially in a situation where the hunter's life is threatened.**

 **Kylie and Daryl don't act any different now that they're official... for the time being. There are still many more seasons for me to write, lol. But like I said last chapter, to us Darlie was already a thing, lol. It's still surreal to me that they are FINALLY together. And I'm the one writing this!**

 **But our couple still has quite a ways to go.**

 **And of course they are adorable as all hell. "You're what I want, Daryl", yea the events of this season will definitely effect them later on in the story. It's gunna be fun. :)**

 **How do you guys feel about Ky wanting to get ready to leave the group? That options, honestly, wasn't something I planned on putting in this story. But it works, especially with conveying Kylie's change in character.**

 **Coming Up Next On _In The End_ : The group meets, Shane's a dick, Kylie gives her opinion and shares a story. And something horrible happens. So come back next weeks to see what happens next. **

**As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: Okay, so I am NOT a Caryl shipper by any means. But last night's episode? Yea that shit was adorable. I really had mixed emotions, because I DO NOT ship them. BUT IT WAS SOOOOO FREAKING CUTE! Just wanted to say that lol. What did you guys think about last nights episode?**

 **It always makes me happy when the group either blows stuff up or lights things on fire, lol.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

The sun was already setting by the time everyone began to gather in the Green family living room. While just about everyone had decided to sit close to each other, Kylie and Daryl stood near the back. Daryl leaning against a small display table, and Kylie leaning against his chest.

Everyone was silent as Rick, Lori and Carl walked through the door. Kylie watched as Rick looked towards his son, who was lingering in the doorway. Trying to listen in on the discussion, but the boy was sent away with nothing more than a look from his father.

The group was still silent as they waited for someone to start the impending conversation.

"So how do we do this?" Glenn finally asked "Just...take a vote?"

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea added.

"Majority rules?" Lori suggested from her spot next to her husband.

"Let's just see where everybody stands. Then we can talk through the options" was Rick's response.

"Well, where I sit" Shane spoke up from his spot next to Andrea "There's only one way to move forward." His words caused Kylie to roll her eyes. She wasn't against killing Randall. But she had gotten to the point where she couldn't stand the sound of Shane's voice.

"Killing him" Dale spat "Right? I mean why even bother taking a vote, it's clear which way the winds blowing."

"Well if people believe we should spare him, I wanna know" Rick told them.

"Well, I can tell you it's a small group" Dale sighed "Maybe just me and Glenn." But the man in question didn't speak up, and from the look on his face Kylie could tell that he friend didn't agree with the old man.

"Look, I...I think you're pretty much right about everything all the time" Glenn started "But this..."

"They've got you scared!" Dale cut him off.

"He's not one of us!" Glenn defended, causing Kylie to bite her lip nervously. "And we...we've lost too many people already."

"How about you?" Dale asked, pointing his hat towards the Greens. "Do you agree with this?"

"Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" Maggie asked calmly.

"Just another mouth to feed" Daryl spoke up, coiling his arms tightly around Kylie's waist.

"It may be a lean winter" Hershel agreed, and Kylie nodded.

"Hunting's getting worse" she put in, lacing her fingers with Daryl's.

"We could ration better" Lori supplied.

"He could be an asset!" Dale stated. "Give him a chance to prove himself."

"Put him to work?" Glenn asked.

"We're not letting him walk around" was Rick's response.

"We could put an escort on him" Maggie suggested.

"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" Shane scoffed.

"I will" Dale stated automatically.

"I don't think anybody should be walking around with this guy" Rick said, shooting down the idea.

"I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up" Lori said quietly, causing Andrea to scoff.

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles and sentence him to hard labor" the blonde said.

"Well we could" Kylie spoke up, causing some of the others to look at her. "But like I said before. Hunting's getting worse. Daryl and I can barely bring back enough meat for everyone here as it is."

"Look," Shane started "Say we let him join us, right? Maybe he's helpful. Maybe he's nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs back runs off, brings back his thirty men."

"So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime he may never attempt?!" Dale just about shouted. "If we do this," he continued "we're saying there's no hope rule of law is dead. There is no civilization.

"Oh my god" Shane scoffed under his breath.

"Could you drive him further out?" Hershel asked 'Leave him like you planned?"

"That was the best option" Kylie nodded.

"You barely made it back last time" Lori told her husband. "There are walkers, you could break down..." she trailed off.

"or get ambushed" Daryl added in.

"Only reason why they barely made it back last time is cuz we chose the wrong duo to go drop the kid off" Kylie scoffed. "Listen," she added "None of you even know what these people are like..." her words caused the group to grow silent and look at her curiously. Now was as good a time as any to tell her group the truth.

"Maybe about a week before I ran into Hershel at Hatlin's, I was in the sporting goods store. Someone came in, and since I didn't have any back up, I left and went to the pharmacy" Kylie paused for a moment before continuing "I wasn't alone there either. Three guys came in. I didn't hear them until it was too late, but I already had my gun out. The first guy managed to grip me up from behind and the second was talking about how the guys back at camp 'needed a new piece of ass.' I'm not stupid. I know what they wanted me for. Without even thinking, I pulled the trigger. Both men were dead and I got out of dodge. There's not a doubt in my mind that the third guy. The one who was just standing there watching was Randall."

Everyone was silent was they looked at her in awe. Suddenly her new demeanor made even more sense to them. "Kill the dick if you want. Mother fucker came close to killing me" Kylie continued. "But my first vote will be for sending him _far far away_ " she growled. And with that, she pushed off of Daryl and kissed him quickly before leaving the house. No one stopped her.

Kylie walked all the way back to her and Daryl's tent. As she sat silently in the drivers seat of her Bronco, Kylie tried raising D-Pooly on the C.B. but there wasn't any one there. She had a feeling that he was already lost. Sighing, she hopped out of her car and gathered what she could. It was only a matter of time before she and Daryl left.

Even though she told Daryl that she would go with him without hesitation, Kylie knew that the group wouldn't survive long without either of them. That was the main reason Daryl had stuck around during the month without Kylie. He didn't want the death of the entire group on his shoulders.

As the sky grew dark, Kylie could see movement in the distance. Autmatically she knew what was happening. Randall was going to die. After securing one of Daryl's duffel bags in the back seat of her car, Kylie shoulders her crossbow and began walking towards the barn.

Kylie could hear Randall crying from inside as she approached. As she walked through the door, the three men looked at her.

"Told you I got you're back, Rick" she shrugged.

"Would you like to stand or kneel?" Rick asked the prisoner, who whimpered in response. Due to his lack of answer, Daryl forced the kid to his knees. "Do you have any final words?" Rick asked, but Randall only sobbed. After meeting Kylie's eye, Rick lifted his gun to meet Randall's forehead.

"Do it, dad" They heard from the door way of the barn. With wide eyes, Kylie turned to see her little cousin. "Do it."

With one look, Rick silently told Shane to get Carl away from the scene. It was then that the eldest Grimes realized that he couldn't pull the trigger.

"Take him away" he told Daryl, who nodded and gripped Randall's arm to drag him back to the shed.

"Get up" the hunter growled lowly, forcing the kid to his feet before nodding to Kylie. Telling her to follow.

The trip back to the shed was a silent one. Except for the whimpers coming from Randall. As Daryl tied the kid back up, Kylie waited for him just outside of the shed's door. All she wanted was to go back to their tent and cuddle up to her boyfriend. But that fantasy was shot lived when screams sounded through the farm. With her heart pounding in her chest, Kylie took off towards the sound with Daryl right behind her.

What she was was something she could never un-see. Kylie couldn't move as she looked at Dale laying in the grass. A walker had somehow come across him and the hopeful old man was slowly dying in the field. Nothing registered in Kylie's mind. The shouts and screams were muffled by the ringing in her ears. She knew. She knew that Dale wouldn't survive this.

For once in her life, Kylie jumped at the sound of the gun shot.

* * *

 **AN: So I totally almost forgot to post today, how horrible is that! Anyways, here's chapter 38, what did you guys think?**

 **A part of me struggled on whether I wanted Kylie to be in the shed with the guys when they (attempted) to kill Randall, but I figured that it would go against her character if she went back to her and Daryl's tent to wait it out. Plus, like she said, she always has Rick's back.**

 **Kylie finally told the group what had happened when she was in town by herself. About how she had killed the men in the pharmacy and what they wanted to do to her. How do you think the group would take this information? Do you think that they'll view Kylie different? Maybe finally see that she isn't the same woman who was lost in the woods on her own.**

 **She may have changed, but she does agree with Dale on one thing: Killing Randall will be bad for the group as a whole. Which is why she knows that sending Randall far away from them would be the best. As we all know, that plan would have worked, if it wasn't Shane who had gone with Rick.**

 **Having Kylie jump at the end, when Dale's suffering ended, sort of showed how intense the situation was. Under any other circumstances, Kylie WOULD NOT have jumped at a gun shot. And I must say, this was probably the hardest scene I've had to write. This was Dale.**

 **RIP DALE HORVATH!**

 **Coming Up Next On _In The End:_ Anger and hurt surround the group, Kylie jokes with Hershel and Rick is a loving uncle. SO come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS:Guys, can you believe that we're almost done with Season Two of Kylie's story? It's friggin' surreal. Currently I'm working on the filler between S2 and S3. It's proving to be difficult though.**

 **Okay so SabersDragon pointed out to me that Kylie hasn't really interacted with Carl much this season. And honestly I was so focused on keeping her in this new almost darker persona, that I completely forgot about Carl. And in a way, Kylie not really having any moments with her cousin sort of shows that. Before she was on her own, Kylie was all about hanging out with the kid. It's not that she doesn't want to be around Carl, it's that she doesn't really want him to see her the way she is now.**

 **But that will change. I have plans, lol.**

 **PSS: Also, last nights episode...I cant. I really really can't.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

As Kylie sat in front Daryl in the bed of Hershel's truck, she prepared herself mentally for the job she and a few others had been given. After the funeral, Kylie, Shane, Daryl and T-Dog were tasked with making sure that no other walkers made their way onto the farm. They didn't need any more surprise attacks. The small group was silent as Shane drove. Everyone still reeling from Dale's death.

From her spot between her boyfriends legs, Kylie scanned the fields. This place wasn't as safe as the group thought. Kylie knew that nowhere was safe. It was that harsh reality that kept her fighting. Fighting to keep her friends and family safe. Even though she had barely spoken to them since her return.

Dale had been right. When he said that the group was broke, he was right. The group was broken, and now was the time to fix it. But Kylie knew that it would be a long hard road before the cracks were filled completely. Too much had happened in the past month in half. And Kylie could feel that it was just the beginning.

When the truck finally stopped, Daryl hopped out of the bed first before helping Kylie down. An action that caused the woman to roll her eyes before handing him his crossbow. They walked behind the other three, sticking close to each other as they always have. The wire fences seemed to be in tact. But that didn't mean that a walker couldn't get in. If they smelled food, they'd come hobbling over.

The group didn't speak as they walked the fence line. Each one itching for a fight. Something to let out their anger.

It wasn't long before they got their wish. After checking the fences, they went to the tree line, and the two hunters found fresh walker tracks. And the walker they belonged to. But that wasn't enough for the,, though. So they continued to work the field.

Not to long after, they found more. The walkers had found a deer and were devouring the poor doe. Though they had guns, the group didn't use them. There was a walker for each of them. Kylie and Daryl easily dispatched theirs with swift arrows. But the other three had different ideas. Kylie watched as Andrea and T-Dog stomped and stabbed each of the walkers before Shane came up to the last one, and pushed the blade of his shovel through the soft skull of the dead man.

Even Daryl had jumped in. Kylie couldn't blame any of them. And though she was angry, she knew that pounding on dead flesh wouldn't help her at all. It would just make her angrier. It wouldn't bring Dale or Sophia back to them.

"Meet you down there?" Daryl asked when they returned to camp. Everyone was moving into the house today and Kylie still had a few more of her and Daryl's things to load into the Bronco. It wasn't much, just the few articles of clothing, bedding and weapons that they usually kept with them. She even grabbed Daryl's string of walker ears and hung it from her rear-view. There was something disgustingly beautiful about them.

It didn't take her long to finish loading everything and make her way down to the house. When she finally parked and saw the others piled around Hershel's truck, Kylie hopped out of the driver's seat of her own car, pecking Daryl's cheek before walking over to where her uncle stood with the old man.

"Gunna be tight" Rick said "Fifteen people in one house."

"Don't worry about that" Hershel reassure before continuing "With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up..."

"With fifty head of cattle on the property, we might was be ringing the damn dinner bell" Maggie continued for her father, causing Kylie to nod in agreement.

"She's right" Hershel agreed. "We should have moved you in a while ago."

"Alright" Rick continued after a moment of silence. "Let's move the vehicles near each of the doors, facing towards the road. We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sight-lines of both sides of the property." At that everyone began moving to get everything ready. "T-Dog, you take the perimeter of the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going. Kylie you go with him."

"What about standing guard?" the other man asked.

"I need you, Daryl and Lee on double duty" Rick told him.

"Gotcha" Kylie nodded before opening the driver's door.

"I'll stock the basement with food and water" Hershel told them as he walked by with a milk crate. "Enough that we could survive there a few days if need be."

"Plus Daryl and I still have some stockpiles in my truck, just in case we need to book" Kylie added, causing her uncle to nod.

"What about patrols?" Andrea asked.

"Let's get this area locked down first" Rick told her. "After that, Shane'll assign shifts while Daryl and I take Randall offsite and cut him loose."

"We're back to that now?" Shane asked with a silent scoff.

"It was the right plan first time around, poor execution" was Rick's response. Not wanting to listen to the two men squabble, Kylie started the engine of ehr Bronco once more before stepping out and walking over to Daryl.

"You good on arrows?" she asked him.

"Could use a few more" Daryl responded, Kylie just nodded as he slung an arm around her shoulders and the two of them walked back to her rumbling truck.

"So Hershel told me that we could take his stepsons old room" she told him, handing a few arrows to her boyfriend.

"Surprised his comfortable with us sharin' a bed" Daryl said with a joking smirk.

"He likes us" Kylie said with a shrug "It's Shane he don't trust" Daryl just nodded in understanding. He didn't trust Shane either. "Still don't know how I feel about this."

"What?" Daryl asked as he fixed the arrows in his crossbow quiver.

"Being in close proximity with everyone" she told him, biting her lip. With a sigh, Daryl sung his crossbow over her shoulder and pulled the woman closer to him.

"You'll be fine" Daryl said quietly before giving her a light kiss. "You get on up there and get us set up." Kylie just nodded, kissing him once more before he went over to his bike.

A minute later, she parked the Bronco and hopped out with one of her and Daryl's duffel bags and her crossbow.

"Hey Hershel?" she addressed the old man "Mind showing me where I can put this?" Kylie asked, lifting her bag. Hershel just nodded and led the woman to the room she would be sharing with her boyfriend.

"Now I'm trusting you two" he said. "I want ya'll to behave yourselves."

"Yessir" Kylie laughed. "No hanky-panky, gotcha." She was surprised to find that her laughter wasn't forced.

"I'll leave you to get settled" he said.

"Thanks Hershel" Kylie told him before he made it out the door. "I don't know if anyone has said it. But thank you. For everything." Hershel just sent the woman a smile before heading out to help everyone move their stuff in.

Kylie didn't have to do much to settle her and Daryl's things. Considering they only had the one duffle bag of clothes and weapons. So she placed the bag on the bed and pulled out her jacket and the blood stained button up. Unlike everyone else, she hadn't been wearing her outerwear. The walker-killing-workout was enough to warm her body in the cool fall air. Once the jacket and button-up had been pulled on over her black shirt, Kylie unhooked her belt and switched it out for her holster. Before looping the object around her hips, she sat on the bed and checked over her weapons, adding a few more knives to the pockets of her jacket and flared jeans.

By the time she was ready for her and T-dog's patrol around the property, Rick and Daryl were already planning their route.

"Take him out to Senoia" she heard Rick's voice float through the door. "Hour there, hour back give or take. We may lose the light..." he trailed off.

"But you'll be halfway home by then" Kylie said as she stepped out on to the porch, causing both men to look at her.

"This little pain in the ass will be a distant memory" Daryl said, moving to lean his back against the railing.

"Good riddance" Kylie mumbled as she settled herself between Daryl's legs, his arms instantly circling her waist.

"Carol's putting together some provisions for him" Rick told them " Enough to last a few days." There was a moment of silence as Rick watched Shane drove up to the house. "That thing you did last night..." he trailed off.

"Ain't no reason you should do all the heavy lifting" Daryl shrugged, his thumb absently rubbing at Kylie's stomach.

"So you good with all this?" Rick asked after nodding appreciatively.

"I don't see you and I trading haymakers on the side of the road. Nobody'd win that fight" Daryl said, causing Kylie to smile and lace her finger with his.

"By the way..." Rick started, looking at the couple's joined hands "Good luck with that. She's crazy" he joked, causing Kylie's jaw to drop.

"So much for being a loving uncle."

* * *

 **AN: Hooray for chapter thirty nine!**

 **So when they packed up their things, Kylie took the walker ears and hung them on her mirror. What did you guys think of that? Do you think it means anything for Kylie personally? Or do you think it was just something she decided to do, no rhyme or reason behind it?**

 **Oh, also, what did ya'll think about that little moment between Kylie and Rick towards the end. Do you think Rick's comment was one of consent (not that Darlie needs anyone's permission)? The main reason why I wrote this scene is because I wanted to show a little bit of how Rick and Kylie used to interact with each other. Sure, he's her uncle, but growing up they were more like best friends. (Something I have a lot of experience in). So the real question is, how do you guys think Rick _really_ feels about Kylie and Daryl's relationship?**

 **Okay, there really isn't much I feel like I should talk about for this chapter. Not that stuff didn't happen and whatnot, cuz there was definite stuff, but because I am still like half awake and I am being forced to sit in an awkward position. Shit's just not fun, lol.**

 **Also guys, there aren't that many chapters left for me to post. I've been working on this story off and on, just so that I never run out of chapters for you. But it's proving difficult to write the winter months. Granted, I'm not writing the _entire_ winter, so that's something. **

**On top of that, I've been working hard on my new Teen Wolf story temporarily titled _Wolf Mate_ , which technically is a rewrite of my story _Battlefield of Wolves. _ Plus trying to keep up with all of my other stories. Anyways, I'm trying to keep this story afloat, and I'm asking that you please forgive me if I fall behind with posting every now and again.**

 **Coming Up Next on _In The End_ : Some Darlie flirting, which is always fun, Randall gets loose and Kylie has a really bad feeling. SO come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

As soon as Shane got out of his car, both Kylie and Daryl sensed the change in the air. So the two of them excused themselves so that Rick could talk with Shane privately. Taking Daryl's hand, Kylie led her boyfriend to the room that they would be sharing. For some reason it felt different than them sharing the tent as they have been. To Kylie it made their relationship feel more real.

"We are under strict orders" Kylie started, sitting down on the bed "No funny business."

"Oh really?" Daryl smirked, coming closer to the woman and nudging her knees apart.

"Yes really" Kylie nodded, looking up at him. "So don't go getting any ideas mister" she grinned. Instead of responding, Daryl just gave her a hard kiss, pushing himself closer to her body. Instantly, Kylie's hands fisted the material of Daryl's leather vest as she moaned into the kiss. "You come back, okay?" she whispered when he finally pulled away.

"I promise" he nodded. "Come on, Rick's prolly ready to head out by now." Letting out a sigh, Kylie let Daryl pull her to her feet before they walked out of the bedroom.

While Daryl checked over the map and the provisions a few minutes later, Kylie sat in the truck bed kicking her feet from the tailgate while she waited for T-Dog to show up so that they could do a small circuit around the house.

"Only got so many arrows" said the man in question as he walked over to them and handed Daryl a gun.

"Is that Dale's gun?" Daryl asked, taking the weapon from T-Dog and checking it over.

"Yea" was all T-Dog responded with.

"Wish I knew where the hell mine is" Daryl said as he tucked the gun into his waistband. Kylie nodded in agreement. One of his guns had gone missing from his saddle bag the day before, when packing all of their belongings, Kylie searched everywhere for it. But came up empty handed.

"Woulda given you mine, but for some reason I don't think you'd rock a hot pink Hello Kitty gun" Kylie joked, hopping out of the truck bed so that T-Dog could close it.

"Ready?" Rick asked as he walked over to the three of them.

"Yea," Daryl nodded, shouldering his crossbow.

"I'll go get the package" T-Dog told them, causing Rick to nod his head.

Kylie was silent as she followed Daryl to the passenger side door of the truck. She had a nagging feeling in her gut that everything was about to crumble. It wasn't a good feeling.

"You okay?" Daryl asked.

"Yea" Kylie lied with a shake of her head.

"Liar" Daryl stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's eatin' you, Ky?" he asked her.

"Just a bad feeling" she shook her head.

Not even a minute later, T-Dog came running back to them. Kylie didn't need to hear what he was saying before she took off running towards the shed with her gun drawn and the safety off. The others weren't too far behind her.

"Son of a mother fucker!" Kylie shouted as soon as she threw the shed door open to reveal the abandoned area.

Almost immediately everyone began clamoring around them, trying to figure out what was going on.

"The cuffs are still hooked, he must have slipped 'em" Rick told them.

"Is that possible?" Carol asked.

"I used to do it all the time" Kylie shrugged "But the little fuckers wrists are thicker than mine. There's blood on the metal."

"The door was secured from the outside" Hershel said. That only said one thing to Kylie, someone had let Randall go. And she had a feeling as to who it was. Suddenly there was shouting coming from the tree line. Looking over, Kylie saw Shane rush over to them, his face covered in blood.

"What happened?" Lori shouted to him.

"He's armed!" Shane shouted back "He's got my gun!"

"Are you okay?" Carl asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, little bastard just snuck up on me, clocked me in the face" Shane responded. As he came closer, Kylie's fingers stiffened on her gun.

"Alright, Kylie, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house. Glenn, Daryl come with us" Rick ordered. With a nod, Kylie motioned for T-Dog and Hershel to take the lead while she brought up the rear, her gun lowered to her side but still ready.

"Be safe, okay" Kylie told Daryl, silently telling him her suspicions. Daryl simply nodded and kissed her swiftly before loading his crossbow.

"T, I'm gunna need that gun" Shane said, walking over to the man in question.

"Just let him go" Carol spoke up "That was the plan, wasn't it? To just let him go?" she asked.

"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here," Rick growled "Not on our front step with a gun."

"Don't go out there, You don't know what could happen!" Carol called out.

"Get everybody back in the house" Rick ordered "Lock all the doors, and stay put!"

Kylie didn't need to be told twice. Even though she knew that there was more to the story than what they had been told, keeping the group safe was still top priority.

Tensions were high inside the house, so Kylie suggested that everyone finish setting up their meager possessions and bedding. Just something to keep their minds off of what was happening outside in the woods.

By the time everything was in order, the sun had set and the others hadn't returned yet. The nagging feeling in Kylie's gut had grown stronger as time went by. So, thinking ahead, she went to the room she was to be sharing with Daryl and grabbed the duffle bag and her crossbow.

"Where are you going?" Maggie asked.

"I have a bad feeling, gunna put my bag in the Bronco" Kylie responded.

"Just be careful" the other woman said, knowing that she couldn't talk her new friend out of the decision.

"No worries, Magpie" Kylie smirked. Not even a minute went by and Kylie was back inside the house. "See, told ya. No worries" she told Maggie, who rolled her eyes.

There was small talk between the group members inside the house. But Kylie wasn't participating. Instead she stood by the front window, keeping lookout through the glass. Praying that everyone came back safe and sound. Well, almost everyone. There were two people still out there that she could live without.

And then, there was a gunshot.

* * *

 **AN: So I'm doing a small little dance in my seat right now. We are sooooooooo close to finishing off season 2 I can hardly stand it!**

 **So did you guys like the level of adorable in this chapter? I love writing Daryl and Kylie as a couple, mostly because this isn't how they would really act around the rest of the group. To some extent.**

 **Okay, so not really much happened in this chapter. There really wasn't much for me to write for Kylie, since she was in the house with the others. But I hope you all liked it anyways.**

 **ALSO I just wanted to let you guys know that in the coming months it mind become harder for me to write/update _In The End_ and my other stories. The reason being? I am having a BABY! Yes, I am going to be a mommy! lol**

 **Coming up next on _In The End_ : Kylie thinks Lori is an idiot, Carl goes missing (surprise surprise!), Kylie figures something out and there is a fire fight. So come back next week to find out!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: #WhoIsIt?**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty One**

Everyone had jumped at the noise, which was followed by a second gunshot. And Kylie could feel the panic starting, but thankfully Hershel had talked everyone down and was trying to keep the others calm while Kylie and T-Dog kept a lookout through the windows.

A few minutes later, Daryl and Glenn returned to the house. Instantly, Kylie rushed over to Daryl and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding her boyfriend close.

"Rick and Shane ain't back?" Daryl asked, shifting slightly so that he could wrap an arm around Kylie, sensing her worry for him.

"No" Lori shook her head.

"We heard a shot" Daryl added.

"We heard it too" Kylie said quietly.

"Maybe they found Randall" Lori suggested. Kylie wanted to roll her eyes at her aunt's statement. Knowing full well that the two men wouldn't waste a bullet on Randall. They would take him out silently, just like the walkers.

"We found him" Daryl shook his head.

"Is he back in the shed?" Maggie asked.

"He's a walker" Daryl informed.

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked the man.

"The weird thing is..." Glenn started with a sigh. "He wasn't bit." At her friend's words, Kylie's grip on Daryl's vest tightened. How was it possible to turn without being bitten or scratched?

"His neck was broke" Daryl told them.

"So he fought back" Patricia suggested. But Kylie knew instantly who had been the one to snap Randall's neck. It was plain as day.

"The thing is" Daryl started "Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other."

"Shane couldn't track his way out of a wet paper bag" Kylie said, her eyes narrowing. It was all coming together.

"So he didn't come up behind him" Daryl continued. "They were together" he revealed.

"Would you please get back out there and find Rick and Shane. Find out what on earth is going on?" Lori asked.

"You got it" Daryl nodded.

"I'm coming with you" Kylie spoke up, finally taking a step away from Daryl. The look on her face telling him that she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. He just nodded his head and they went back outside, weapons ready.

Only to stop short when they saw a large group of walkers hobbling towards the barn.

"Oh shit" Kylie's eyes were wide as she spoke.

"Patricia, kill the lights" Hershel ordered his assistant quietly.

"I'll get the guns" Andrea said as she followed the other woman inside the house.

"Maybe they're just passing like the herd on the highway" Glenn suggested "Should we just go inside?"

"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about" Daryl told him. "A herd that size will rip the house down."

"Carl's gone" Lori came rushing outside a minute later.

"What?" Kylie and Daryl asked at the same time.

"H-He was upstairs, I can't find him anywhere" the woman said, clearly out of breath.

"Maybe he's just hiding" Glenn told her, trying to calm her nerves.

"He's supposed to be upstairs! I'm not leaving without my boy" Lori said urgently. Once more Kylie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her aunt. Carl had a history of running off and being in places he didn't belong.

"We're not," Carol stated touching the other woman's arm comfortingly "We're gunna look again. We're gunna find him."

As they waited, Kylie kept her eyes on the walkers in the fields. When Andrea came back outside, Kylie traded her Sig Sauer for a shot gun. Even though she was more comfortable with the handgun, or her crossbow. Glancing to her side, she saw that Maggie had the same idea.

"Maggie?" Glenn questioned his lover in shock.

"You grow up country, you pick up a thing or two" Maggie responded as she loaded her shot gun. Her response causing Kylie's mouth to twitch into an almost smile.

"I got the number," Daryl told them a moment later. "It's no use."

"You can go if you want" Hershel told the group as loaded a shotgun of his own.

"You gunna take 'em all on?" Kylie questioned the old man.

"We have guns." Hershel stated "We have cars."

"Kill as many as we can" Maggie continued, understanding where her father's mind was.

'And we'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm" Kylie nodded.

"You serious?" Daryl asked, his question more for Hershel than anyone.

"It's my farm" Hershel nodded "I'll die here."

"Alright" Daryl shrugged "It's as good a night as any" he added before pulling Kylie to the side. "Ky, I want you in that Bronco. Tear ass until you get back to the highway" he told her quietly.

"Daryl what are you talking about?" she asked.

"Look," he nodded towards the incoming walkers "The farm'll fall. Take out as many as you can then haul ass. You got me?" Kylie went to open her mouth to say something, but Daryl cut her off. "You got me?" he asked again, this time rougher. Kylie just nodded her head and bit her lip. "Good. I'll see you there" and with that, he kissed her hard before hopping over the railing and running towards his bike.

Following her boyfriends lead, Kylie jumped over the railing and made a bee-line straight for her truck. Instantly hopping behind the steering wheel and cranking the engine she took a small breath before glancing at her rear view mirror. The sight of Daryl's 'trophies' calming her rattled nerves ever so slightly.

The next thing she knew, the others had joined her and Daryl and were all making their way towards the walkers. As they got closer, the barn erupted in flames. Since Kylie was by herself in the Bronco, it was difficult for her to both drive and shoot walkers, so she had to stop every so often.

Walkers were being taken down one by one. But the group still wasn't making a dent. Kylie stopped once more, cursing under her breath as she went to reload her shotgun. Only to find that she was out of ammo. She knew that it would take to long to constantly reload her crossbow and her handgun was almost out of bullets as it was.

"Fuck it" Kylie growled, tossing the now useless shotgun into the passenger seat as she revved the engine. Kylie Grimes still had one weapon left in her arsenal. Like a bullet, Kylie took off, using the body of her truck to ram the walkers as she made her way off the farm.

* * *

 **AN: Okay so we are, like, just about done with S2. How crazy is that? How did you guys feel about this chapter. I've read alot of stories where the OC manages to squeeze herself onto the bike with Carol and Daryl, or run their way to the highway. Neither scenario seemed...idk realistic to me. Which is why I gave Kylie the Bronco. Literally the final scene of this chapter was the entire reason why I gave her the 4x4 lol.**

 **Also, I really wanted Kylie to keep the walker-ear necklace. How did you guys feel about her hanging them from her mirror?**

 **Gawd, so much happened in this chapter, it's hard for me to pinpoint which parts to talk about, lol. So yea I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to reading your reviews!**

 **Coming Up Next On _In The End_ : Kylie takes a short break before meeting up with the rest of the group, a small debate, a bonding moment between Carol and Kylie, the truth comes out and the End of a Season. So come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty Two**

It took longer than Kylie thought it would to not only get off of the farm, but to find her way to the highway. She had taken quite a few wrong turns and had almost gotten herself stuck in the middle of multiple packs of walkers. By the time she made it to the highway, the sun had risen. Though Daryl had told her to just get to the highway, she figured that he had meant to get to the spot where they had been when she got separated from them the first time.

But as soon as Kylie pulled onto the four lane black top, she cut the engine and rested her head on the steering wheel. She needed to get her nerves under control before she met up with anyone. Kylie knew that if she kept going with the way her nerves were humming with adrenaline and her senses on high alert, someone would get hurt.

After taking a few deep breaths, Kylie shifted in her seat and opened up the glove compartment. Where she kept some of her cigarette packs. Instantly she sparked one up and inhaled. The smoke doing wonders for her nerves, slowly bringing her down from her adrenaline high.

The cigarette was gone in record time and was instantly followed by a second. As soon as she took the first drag, Kylie cranked the Bronco's engine and started down the stretch of highway to find her friends and family.

Kylie drove for about twenty more minutes. It was then that she saw a familiar motorcycle in the distance. Her heart raced in her chest at the sight.

A second or two later, Kylie was jumping out of her truck and into Daryl's arms.

"Looks like I'm late to the party" Kylie joked once she pulled away from her boyfriend.

"Not by much" Glenn told his friend "We all just got here too."

"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl asked, still holding Kylie close to him.

"We're the only ones who made it so far" Rick answered.

"Shane?" Lori asked as she stood to meet her husband's eye but she was only met with Rick shaking his head.

"Andrea?" Glenn asked after a small moment of silence.

"She saved me, then I lost her" Carol spoke up from her spot next to Kylie.

"We saw her go down" T-Dog told the group.

"Patricia?" Hershel asked. But Beth shook her head.

"They got her too" the girl said sadly "took her right from me. I was...I was holding on to her daddy, She just..." Instantly Hershel took his daughter into his arms as she started crying. "What about Jimmy?" she asked a moment later. "Did you see Jimmy?"

"He was in the R.V" Rick told her "It got overrun."

"You definitely saw Andrea?" Carol asked after a silent minute.

"There were walkers everywhere" Lori answered.

"Did you see her?" Carol asked once more, looking for a real answer.

"I'm gunna go back" Daryl stated.

"I'll go with you" Kylie offered. There was no way in hell she was going to let him go back by himself. "We can take the Bronco."

"No" Rick interrupted them.

"Look, I don't like Andrea all that much. But we can't just leave her" Kylie told her uncle.

"We don't even know if she's there" Lori told her niece.

"She isn't there" Rick told the group "She isn't. She's somewhere else, or she's dead. There's no way to find her."

"So we're not even gunna look for her?" Glenn asked.

"We gotta keep moving" Rick told the group "There have been walkers crawling all over here."

"I say head east" T-Dog suggested.

"Stay off the main roads" Daryl nodded as he grabbed his crossbow. "The bigger the road, the more walkers. more assholes like this one," he added. "I got him" and a second later the snarling walker wearing an ugly argyle sweater was taken down.

* * *

They had left the highway hours ago, and they did nothing but drive. Daryl was in the lead with Kylie driving directly behind him. She didn't plan on letting her boyfriend out of her sights anytime soon. There was no way in hell she was going to be separated from him again.

"Kylie?" Carol's soft voice spoke up from the passenger seat.

"Hmm?" Kylie's eyes didn't stray from the motorcycle in front of her.

"Take good care of him?" was all Carol said, causing Kylie's gaze to snap to the older woman for a second before going back to the road. Her knuckles turning white against the steering wheel. "I know that while you were gone, he was mostly looking for you. Not my Sophia. But he still tried."

"Daryl's good like that" Kylie nodded.

"He didn't seem to think so" Carol responded. "But you're right, he is." Kylie just nodded. "I can see how much he loves you. And I know that you love him too."

Kylie was shocked. It wasn't as if she and Daryl were keeping their relationship a secret. But they didn't really give a big announcement either.

"If you two thought you were hiding it. You weren't doing that good a job" Carol giggled. "In fact," she continued "We all figured that the two of you were together back at the quarry. After you went hunting that first time."

But before Kylie could respond to her passenger, there was a honk from the back of their small caravan. The noise causing Kylie to step on her brakes, bringing the Bronco to a full stop.

When the others finally stopped, Kylie grabbed her crossbow and hopped out of her truck with Carol following closely behind.

"You out?" Daryl asked Rick when the group convened near the motorcycle.

"Been running on fumes" Rick answered.

"We can't stay here" Maggie told them, shot gun at the ready.

"We can't all fit in one car" Glenn said "And Kylie's Bronco's probably gunna be outta gas soon too" he added, causing Kylie to nod and rub at her brow.

"Yea, I'm riding E" she sighed.

"We'll make a run for gas in the morning" Rick said.

"Spend the night here?" Carol asked, wrapping her sweater tightly around her torso.

"I'm freezing" Carl shivered.

"We'll build a fire, yea?" Lori suggested.

"You go out looking for firewood, stay close" Daryl directed. "Ky and I only got so many arrows. How you doin' on ammo?" he asked Rick.

"Not enough" was Rick's response.

"We can't just sit here with our asses hanging out" Maggie said.

"Watch your mouth" Hershel scolded his daughter. "Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick." There was a moment of silence as Rick began formulating a plan.

Of course there was a lot of back and forth, but Kylie was silent for the most part. She didn't really care where they spent the night, so long as they were all together and safe. Kylie had already told Rick that she had his back, going against that now was not in the plans.

"You know I found Randall, right?" Daryl asked Rick, crossbow in one hand while his other arm was wrapped around Kylie in an attempt to keep his girlfriend as warm as possible. "He had turned, but he wasn't bit."

"How's that possible?" Beth asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Rick what the hell happened?" Lori questioned her husband.

"Shane killed Randall" Kylie said with a knowing nod. "Just like he always wanted to."

"And then the herd got him?" Lori asked. Rick was silent for a good few minutes, looking around the group, and Kylie could tell that her uncle was trying to find the right words.

"We're all infected."

* * *

Hours later, everyone was still reeling from Rick's reveal. No one could understand why their leader would keep something so important from them. But Kylie understood. How could he tell them when he didn't even know for sure? How could he trust a psychopath's word for truth?

The sun had set and the group of fourteen were sitting around a small fire, enjoying a meager dinner of squirrel and canned fruit. But there was barely any conversation. No one really knew what to do or say. Kylie had decided to go on the other side of the small rock wall they were camped near so that she could enjoy a cigarette.

Kylie still refused to smoke in front of her cousin. From her spot, she could hear Daryl defending her uncle. His words warming her.

Kylie could also hear the other conversations. Glenn and Maggie saying that they should take their chances on the road, Carol saying that they weren't safe with Rick.

"What was that?" Beth whimpered when she heard a rustling in the trees.

"Could be anything. Could be a raccoon, possum" Daryl answered.

"Walker?" Glenn suggested.

"No" Kylie shook her head as she rounded the rock wall. "Moved too fast to be a walker."

"We need to leave" Carol said, panic inching into her voice "I mean what are we waiting for?" she asked as everyone else slowly started to panic as well, obviously none of them had listened to a word Kylie and Daryl said.

"The last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark" Rick said, keeping his voice low "we don't have the vehicles. No one's traveling on foot."

"Don't panic" Hershel whispered to the group when they heard the sound of a branch snapping.

"I'm not..." Carol started 'I'm not sitting here waiting for another herd to blow through."

"We need to move, now" Maggie agreed.

"No one is going anywhere" Rick told them.

"It's not a smart plan. Running off now will get all of us killed" Kylie nodded in agreement, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Do something!" Carol said in an almost demanding voice.

"I am doing something!" Rick snapped back "I'm keeping this group together, alive. I've been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for this! I killed my best friend for you people, for christ's sake!" Everyone except for the Grimes' family and Daryl were shock at the reveal. No one was expecting Rick to admit to killing Shane. "You saw what he was like" Rick continued "How he pushed me, how he comprised us. How he threatened us."

"He staged the whole Randall thing, didn't he?" Kylie asked her uncle, even though she already knew that answer.

"Led me out to put a bullet in my back" Rick told them "He gave me no choice! He was my friend, but he came after me. My hands are clean" he added before there was a moment of silence. Everyone taking in the new information. Kylie was sure that the others had caught on to Shane's disposition long ago. Though no one had the guts to comment on it at the time.

"Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead" Rick continued "I say there's a place for us, but maybe...maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe...Maybe I'm just fooling myself again. Why don't...Why don't you go and find out yourself. Send me a postcard. Go one, there's the door. You can do better? Let's see how far you get."

There was silence again as Rick waited for someone to step up to his challenge. Kylie actively bit her tongue. Her uncle's speech sounding much like one he had given her many years ago.

"No takers? Fine, but get one thing straight... You're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore."

* * *

 **AN: So guys, that is officially the end of season 2! I mean, how crazy is that?**

 **So Kylie understands why Rick didn't tell the rest of the group what Jenner had told him. She supports her uncle 100%. The people most important to her are Carl, Daryl and Rick. So she will support her uncle decisions, so long as they don't get the people close to her heart hurt.**

 **I wanted to show a small moment of understanding between Kylie and Carol. I absolutely love Carol (well I did until this past season, like wtf is going on with her?) I just don't ship her with Daryl. At all. Ever. Personally I see them as close friends. Kindred spirits and whatnot. After season 2 we kind of see that friendship happen, so for the sake of _In The End_ I feel like Kylie and Carol bonding could be some form of precursor to that. **

**One thing I am definitely having issues with, is Kylie actually getting along with Lori. Personally I can't stand the woman. Especially in this episode. Lori TOLD Rick to kill Shane. And then gets all pissy when he does. Like wtf, lady, make up your damn mind. Ugh, she aggravates me.**

 **I honestly don't know what else to say soooo...**

 **Coming Up Next On _In The End_ : The beginning of the Winter. Some Darlie snuggles which are always awesome, and a small food run. Not much but still, come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: So for those of you who are fans of _Teen Wolf_ , be on the lookout for my new(ish) story called _Wolf Mate_ (though I still might change the title). Technically it's a re-write of my story _Battlefield of Wolves_ , but a majority of the story has changed (for those of you that have actually read that story lol). That should be up in the next few weeks, so be on the lookout!**

 **Also, if any of you were starting to get sad that I haven't updated my _True Blood_ story, don't despair! HBO GO is finally working on my phone (we figured out our login stuff lol) so as of yesterday I am back to writing that story! Yay!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty Three**

One month, that's all Kylie got. Just one month of peace on the Green farm until they were thrown into turmoil and fear. But they were together, and that was all that really mattered. With all of them working together, survival was made all the easier.

They spent the night surrounded by the deteriorating rock wall. Watch was kept in two's from the highest point on the wall. Though she had originally set up her Bronco for herself and Daryl, Kylie offered the small space to Lori and Carl. The small boy and the pregnant woman needed it more.

From her spot on the wall, Kylie watched the sun rise. The night had been quiet, they didn't have any visitors at all. Except for the squirrels that she easily shot down for breakfast. Daryl had left her side almost thirty minutes ago to relieve his bladder and scout the surrounding area. Sighing, Kylie dropped to the ground below her and made her way over to the fire. It was almost time for Rick and T-Dog to take watch.

She didn't speak as she shook the large dark skinned man awake for his shift. Kylie barely slept the night before, not out of fear, but because her brain just wouldn't shut off. All that seemed to run through her mind were different scenario's and how she would help keep everyone safe. Over the past few months, Kylie had learned that just about anything was possible. And in turn the group needed to be ready for anything.

Once T-Dog and Rick were up for their watch, Kylie grabbed her pink blanket and her pillow from the back of the Bronco. With her pillow behind her head, Kylie leaned against the cool stone wall. Her fleece blanket didn't do much to keep out the chill, and Kylie shivered slightly as she waited for Daryl to join her. She knew that sleep would more than likely evade them, but it didn't hurt to try for a few winks.

Daryl came over to his tired girlfriend quietly and leaned his crossbow against the wall before joining her on the cold ground. Looking over at him with dull blue eyes, Kylie shuffled next to Daryl repositioning herself so that she was leaning against him with his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders. As soon as she was a little bit more comfortable, Kylie sighed and nuzzled into Daryl's leather clad chest.

The couple needed to get an hour or two of sleep, especially since Rick expected them to go with Glenn and Maggie to get some gas for their vehicles. Gas wasn't the only thing that Kylie would be on the lookout for. She knew that with the winter coming up fast, the group would need even warmer clothing. Lori and Carl more than anyone. If they were lucky, the scouting group could find a safer place for that night. One they could defend easily and keep warm.

An hour and a half later, the four scavengers were on the road. Thankfully they were camped just a few minutes outside of Senoia, just off of the 85. The less time the four of them spent away from the group, the better.

The first road they went down didn't have much, but a few minutes after the turn off, Kylie pulled the Bronco into a litter filled parking lot. Crook's Marketplace was small, but there were enough cars in the parking lot to siphon a good amount of fuel. The two couples split up temporarily, Glenn and Maggie went in one direction while Daryl and Kylie went in the other. Though they were still in sight of the others.

While Daryl grabbed what gas he could from the first car, Kylie kept watch and made note of everything around them. There were actually quite a few places on this street alone that the entire group could spend the night in. Wouldn't be much privacy, but that didn't matter much. Not anymore.

Hearing a small scuffle to her side, Kylie glanced over to her friends to see them taking out a few walkers. There weren't that many in the area, for now, and Kylie wanted to keep it that way. After seeing that Glenn and Maggie had things covered on their end, Kylie glanced over her shoulder to see that her boyfriend was almost done with the first jerry can. Just as he stood, Kylie released a bolt into the skull of an oncoming walker before they carefully walked back to the Bronco.

Once each of the jerry cans were completely full, and the Bronco's tank had been topped off, the foursome silently made their way towards the front door of the marketplace. Through the dirty glass doors, Kylie could see quite a few walkers mulling about. It was obvious that the dead had been trapped inside, maybe since the beginning. A part of her hoped that maybe that meant that the supplies would be intact. But she didn't hope that hard, as to not be let down if they didn't find anything.

They went in two by two. Glenn and Daryl first, followed by Kylie and Maggie. What walkers they could see, were taken out quick and quiet.

"Ky, you and Maggie take that side" Daryl instructed in a low voice as he pointed to the right of the store. "Me and Glenn'll take the left."

Kylie was anxious at first. She didn't like separating from Daryl, and she didn't know how well Maggie could handle herself with the walkers. But the woman didn't argue, instead she sent her boyfriend a short nod before motioning for Maggie to follow.

Deciding that her crossbow was no longer necessary, Kylie swung it onto her back and pulled her knife as they walked. Both girls had a knife in one hand, and a bag in the other.

At the mouth of the first isle, Kylie put a finger to her lips. There were two walkers that still hadn't noticed them. With a nod of understanding, Maggie was quiet as they crept forward. In seconds, the walkers fell to the ground. So far, so good.

There wasn't much on the shelves that they could use. Mostly cleaning supplies, which they didn't really need. But the girls did grab a few stacks of paper plates and plastic utensils. Everything else went untouched as they moved on to the next isle.

Thankfully this one had no walkers. With a silent cheer, Kylie started shoving whatever hygiene products she could into her bag. Shampoo's, conditioners and soaps. Almost blushing when she shoved a few boxes of condoms in her bag, which would be dividing between herself and Maggie. As they were the only two females in the group who had a real possibility of getting pregnant. Which wasn't an option for either of them.

Crook's was small, so there wasn't much for the group to scavenge. The meat that had once been a delicacy here, had long since spoiled and left a pungent odor in the air. Seeing that there wasn't much left for them to grab, Kylie and Maggie made their way back to where their men were.

Daryl and Glenn seemed to have better luck, as they both had filled their bags with enough canned goods to last for the next couple of days. Kylie's mouth watered at the prospect of a full belly.

"Got everything?" she whispered to the men, who nodded in response. They had gathered what they could. Kylie nodded in response as she hoisted her bag high on her shoulder and turned. When she did, she saw an almost untouched cooler of cola. Biting her lip, she glanced at the others. The carbonated drink would be a nice treat. Meeting Daryl's eye, he seemed to agree. Quickly, Kylie pulled a bottle for everyone before leaving the small marketplace behind.

* * *

 **AN: Okay so first things first, I want to apologize for not updating in the past few weeks. There really is no excuse, other than I've been heavily distracted by my _Teen Wolf_ and _True Blood_ stories. And preparing for the arrival of my daughter. Plus, I thought I had less chapters written than I did, lol. But now I'm at 49 chapters, so I think we're good and I promise to work more on this story. **

**For this chapter, I did soooooooooo much research, it's ridiculous. I wanted the locations the group were in to be as accurate as possible. Everything in this chapter is based off of real places, granted yes I had to take creative liberties on certain things.**

 **Honestly not much really happened in this chapter. Barely any dialogue either. Personally, I'm sort of on the fence on this one**

 **Sooooo... what did you guys think? Let me know!**

 **Coming up next on _In The End_ : Kylie helps with lunch, Carol helps Kylie prove a point, and some Darlie action. So come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty Four**

They made it back to camp by noon and were met by the others mulling about the fire. As she made quick work of filling up the rest of the cars and topping off Daryl's bike, Kylie watched silently as her uncle looked over what supplies they had. The only thing that Kylie didn't show Rick was the bottles of soda that she had grabbed as a treat. Those would come out of where she had hid them at dinner.

Kylie knew that the supplies that they did have were scarce, and that would be the situation for quite some time. With a sigh, the brunette grabbed a few objects from the bag Rick was looking through and walked them over to Carol, who was trying to figure out what to make everyone for lunch.

Forcing a smile, Kylie handed the boxes of Rotini and bottles of italian dressing to the older woman.

"It'll have to do for now" she shrugged.

"That's alright, Kylie" Carol smiled in return "Think we could make it work with the meat left over from breakfast?"

"Yea, I think we can do that" Kylie nodded before walking over where they stored what little meat they had to spare. There wasn't much, just like everything else they had, but Kylie promised herself that she would make it work. Even if that meant venturing beyond their makeshift shelter to hunt down a few more squirrels. Which was exactly what they ended up doing.

After the small rodents she had killed were skinned, gutted and chopped up, Kylie handed the meat off to Carol. While their lunch was cooking, Kylie sat with Carol in silence and after a while Daryl joined them.

It didn't take long for the noodle and meat concoction to finish cooking and soon enough the group was enjoying their meager meal. Watching the group, trying to gauge how they were all feeling without speaking up, Kylie couldn't help but hope for some alone time with her boyfriend. Especially as he started playing with her hair.

The group savored their meal, taking the food in as slow as they could. With a frown, Kylie noticed the small separation between her aunt and uncle. Could Lori really be that upset that Rick had killed the man that had tried to kill anyone that would stand in his way? Rick had told Kylie, in confidence, that Lori instructed Rick to get rid of the other man by any means necessary. So her anger didn't make sense.

Sighing, Kylie leaned back into Daryl's chest and closed her eyes. Though their days were getting colder, it was nice to have the warmth of the sun, even for just a little while. Maybe a short nap was called for. If she wasn't going to get the alone time she needed with Daryl, Kylie figured that the next best thing would be sleep.

Lunch didn't last long, and soon enough everyone was moving around the campsite and getting their things ready for their morning departure.

"Kylie, Daryl" Rick's voice sounded, causing the couple to break out of their comfortable silence.

"Sup, Rick?" Kylie asked, looking up at her uncle.

"Glenn said that there was a Goodwill not too far from here" he started. "Would you two be up for a run for some warmer clothes?" Rick asked.

"Sure" Daryl shrugged and Kylie nodded in agreement. Rick went to walk away and talk with Glenn, but Kylie stopped him.

"I want to take Carl" she stated, causing the boy's parents to look at her. "Look, he needs to know these things. We can't coddle him anymore, it's pretty damn obvious that the world won't be going back to the way it was anytime soon and he needs to know how to do this. Just in case." The words were meant for Lori than anyone else.

"She's right." Surprisingly, it was Carol's voice that spoke up. "We tried to keep the children away from what was out there and look what happened to..." the woman trailed off.

Nobody spoke for a while after that. Lori still didn't understand Kylie's point, and as she went to open her mouth to argue Rick instantly stopped her.

"You listen to every word Kylie and Daryl say, do you understand?" Rick asked his son, who looked up with wide eyes and a nod. "Good. Lee, Daryl, you two should rest up. You got a long day tomorrow."

"Gunna get in a quick hunt, get some meat for dinner" Daryl informed their leader. Rick didn't dispute, instead he gave the two hunters a nod before walking off to get an earful from his wife.

A few minutes later, both Daryl and Kylie grabbed their respective weapons and a few extra arrows from the Bronco before stalking off to the woods. Kylie barely noticed as Daryl shoved a few small objects into his pockets. As usual they walked in silence, not even their boots making noise as they passed over the fallen leaves. Every now and then, Daryl would glance behind them, making sure that they didn't get any walker surprises during their hunt.

Fifteen minutes later, they had walked quite a distance away from the group. There wasn't much game in the area, a sad fact that Kylie took note of. Most of the animals were either getting ready for the winter, or hiding from the new predators that had taken over a majority of their home.

When Daryl finally stopped walking, Kylie was confused. Looking at him with a furrowed brow, she noticed her boyfriend lean his cross bow against a nearby tree.

"Good a spot as any" he said a moment later, taking Kylie's bow from her and putting it next to his own.

"Daryl, what..." but she didn't get to finish her question as Daryl kissed her roughly. Smiling, Kylie returned the kiss and instantly wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck with her fingers tangling themselves into his growing hair. The moment she did, Daryl lifted her off the ground and pushed her back into a tree.

"Gotta make this quick, Ky" he told her, lips grazing her exposed neck. Trying to find her breath, Kylie just nodded before her head fell back against the rough bark of the tree. Daryl stripped them both down in a flash, leaving them in nothing more than their shirts and jackets. And in an instant, Kylie was in the air with her legs wrapped tightly around her boyfriend's waist. With no hesitation, Daryl pushed himself inside.

The only thing stopping Kylie's loud moans was the leather that covered Daryl's shoulder. They savored their quick romp as much as they could, knowing full well that it could be the last time they could be intimate for a while.

* * *

 **AN: not much really happened in this chapter. But I feel like this bit of filler needed to happen.**

 **Sadly, this might be the last time we see Kylie and Daryl going at it for a while. There's just no time for them to get all hot and heavy. But I knew that I needed to have at least one last sexy time scene before I started the winter sequence. It wasn't much, but I think it was enough.**

 **I had gotten a review a while back stating that I haven't shown Kylie and Carl spend any time together since she was reunited with the group. But since I had already written most of season 2 at that point, I decided to have a Kylie and Carl spend some time together during the winter. We all know that Carl really steps up in between seasons 2 and 3, so I figured that maybe Kylie had a hand in that transformation.**

 **Okay, so you're probably sitting there thinking 'rotini noddles with squirrel and italian dressing? In the zombie apocalypse? Not practical.' Well...says who? If they have the means to make their meals taste better, then why not use them. At this point in the story line, they still have the option of seasonings and stuff.**

 **So yup there's chapter 44 lol.**

 **Coming Up Next on _In The End_ : Kylie makes sure her cousin is prepared for the Goodwill run, the group gets what they need, and a secret is kept. So come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: I finally started writing season 3! I have so many plans for Season 3 that it's not even funny. I can't wait to share it with you guys!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty Five**

Only Kylie, Daryl and Carl were going to go on the run to the Goodwill for winter clothes. But once morning came, Rick suggested they take a fourth. Kylie couldn't be offended, neither could Daryl. Rick just wanted his son protected as much as possible on the run.

While the majority of the group went to set up camp in a new location, Kylie and Daryl took the youngest Grimes and Glenn to the thrift store. Though it wasn't the quietest or even the most fuel efficient vehicle they had, the four of them took Kylie's Bronco. It had the most space for scavenged items.

During the drive Kylie quizzed her cousin not only on the items they were looking for, but on their course of action. She told him to stick to her during their run, to not pull his gun unless they were back into an inescapable corner and to keep his new knife ready at all times. Carl soaked up every bit of information like a sponge, eager to learn and prove that he can help the group. The icing on the cake for the young boy was the fact that he was learning from the best, two of the people he looked up to most in this new world.

Kylie was more nervous than normal. Though she was adamant about bringing her cousin on the run, she still let the anxiety creep through her veins. At any moment anything could go wrong in their new lives, and the risks were higher than ever before.

"One more time Carl" Kylie said from the passenger seat once the abandoned Goodwill was in sight.

"Long sleeves, preferably thermals, sweatshirts, jackets and jeans. Hats and gloves if we can manage" Carl answered dutifully. Kylie simply nodded at his answer as she checked over her crossbow one more time.

"If we run into trouble?" she asked.

"Stay with one of you, don't use my gun unless our backs to the wall" he said. The car was silent once more as Daryl pulled the Bronco into the parking lot of the Goodwill. "Kylie, everything's going to be _fine_."

Staying their seats, Kylie and Daryl rolled down their windows to take out the surrounding walkers. They didn't see that many, but the small group knew that there could always be more. The parking lot was cleared a few minutes later, and the four of them quietly made their way to the front door of the thrift store. Carl did as he was told, and stuck to Kylie's side like glue with his hand hovering slightly over his new knife.

Glenn made quick work of the chained door and moved aside so that Daryl could take point. While Kylie brought up the rear, she made sure that Carl was safely in between herself and Glenn. The second the glass doors were closed again, Kylie met Daryl's eyes and nodded.

Putting a hand on her cousin's shoulder, Kylie led the kid to the opposite side of the store. So far there were no walkers hiding inside the store, but there could always be a surprise attack. With this in her mind, Kylie rose a finger to her lips and signaled for Carl to stay silent. He told her that he understood with nothing more than a nod.

There was splotches of blood of the linoleum, a sight Kylie wanted to hide from Carl. But it was something that couldn't be avoided. Not anymore. Everyone, not just Carl, needed to get used to the sight of blood and dismembered corpses.

As quietly as they could, Kylie and Carl put their bags on the ground and began sifting through the racks of shirts. They didn't bother with sizes or color preferences as they could have in the old world, instead they grabbed anything that looked warm enough for the oncoming winter months. There wasn't much.

With a sigh, Kylie hoisted her bag back up onto her shoulder and looked around. Spying the racks of pants, she motioned for Carl to follow her.

Here they had better luck, and soon enough Kylie's bag was completely full. Figuring that they weren't going to find anymore, the woman decided that they would meet back up with Daryl and Glenn.

"Not much for winter stuff here" she told her boyfriend once they were together again. "Think there might be more in the back?" she asked.

Daryl simply looked to where he knew the back stockroom was located and nodded.

"Think we should check it out?" Glenn asked.

"Yea" Daryl nodded. And with that, the four of them moved to the door of the stock room. Ready for whatever was behind the doors. No one noticed Carl shove something into his bag.

The stock room was almost as large as the main store. Instead of separating, the four of them stuck together and moved through the musty isles. As they walked, Kylie couldn't help but think that the stockroom looked too untouched. Unlike the front which had blood stains on the floor and knocked over clothing racks. The thought was unsettling.

"Check it out" Glenn announced, pointing to a shelf that was filled with nothing but sweaters, sweatshirts and jackets. Everything that they needed.

A few minutes later they were ready to leave. It was when they were moving to the door that Kylie froze. The tell tale sound of walkers echoing off of the walls. The four of them barely had time to react as they were almost instantly surrounded, the walkers drawn in quickly to the scent of fresh meat.

Carl was quickly shoved behind the three adults as they took fire on the walkers. There were more than they had originally thought and they were slowly being pushed into the cold cement wall. They needed to find an opening and run. Fast.

"Carl, we need to run" Kylie told her cousin, her heart pounding in her chest as she took down another walker. "Grab onto my jacket, and don't let go" she instructed, Carl instantly did as he was told, his fingers gripping the flannel cut off she wore over her leather jacket.

It all happened in an instant. A walker lunged for them and Kylie shoved Carl away from her, towards Glenn. But was instantly brought to the ground, her crossbow clattering to the side of her. Too far away to reach for without getting bit. As she struggled to get free of the walkers grip, Kylie could hear the others calling her name.

And then suddenly, just as she thought was all over for her, the walker fell dead on top of her. It was when she shoved the corpse off of her that she noticed the knife sticking out of the back of the monsters skull. The same knife she had given Carl. Looking over to her cousin, she saw his eyes wide and his chest heaving up and down.

Without saying a word, Kylie pulled the knife from the walker's head and handed it back to Carl before grabbing her crossbow. No one said a word, there was no time. More walkers were coming. Kylie knew that Daryl would want to make sure that she wasn't bitten or scratched, but that would have to wait until they were out of the death trap.

The Goodwill parking lot was no longer walker-free. It seemed as if a small herd had found their way to the thrift store. Kylie held Carl's hand in a death grip as they ran as fast as they could to the Bronco. She let Glenn and Daryl take care of any walker that stumbled across them.

"Carl." Kylie finally spoke, after they were all safe inside of the Bronco. "We absolutely do _not_ tell your mother about this."

* * *

 **AN: So how did you guys feel about this chapter?**

 **Originally I was going to have Kylie say "don't tell you're dad about this" but I figured that it made more sense that Lori would have an issue with Carl killing walkers.**

 **Now I know you guys are probably sitting there thinking "Daryl and Glenn could have saved her easily." And you'd be right, they could have. But that just wouldn't have the same effect. My plan was to show how Carl's start to becoming a little bad ass, and what better way than saving his cousins life? lol**

 **So obviously they wouldn't find much winter clothes at the thrift store. When the world went dark it was still summertime, so of course places that sold clothes would only have spring/summer stuff.**

 **What do you guys think Carl grabbed from the Goodwill? I'd love to hear, lol.**

 **Coming up next on _In The End:_ The group executes Plan B, Kylie takes a break from storytelling, and there are tasty snacks. Basically more fluff than anything, lol. Either way come back next week to see what happens!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty Six**

Kylie knew that the house the group had decided to settle down into for the night was abandoned. When all she saw was Daryl's motorcycle in the driveway, a part of her started to panic. There weren't too many walkers in the area, not enough to concern them. But they knew that the small herd that found them at the Goodwill had to have come from this direction. It must have pushed the group out.

Getting out of the car with his crossbow raised, Daryl slowly made his way over to the bike. Kylie saw him shake his head before looking to the sky. Following his gaze, Kylie noticed that the sun was going down.

"Says they went to Plan B" he announced, climbing back into the driver's seat.

"We won't make it there by nightfall" Kylie shook her head.

"They left?" Carl asked from the back.

"Yea, kid" Kylie sighed, running a hand through her dirty hair. "What do you think we should do?" she asked, her gaze shifting between Daryl and Glenn.

"Clear the house. Camp here and head out in the morning" Glenn suggested. Daryl seemed to agree as he nodded and turned to face Kylie.

"You and the kid stay here, me and Glenn got this" he told her. Kylie wanted to argue with him, but she knew that it would be easier to keep an eye on her cousin if they were both inside the Bronco. So instead she nodded, kissing her boyfriend lightly before letting him go.

Kylie and Carl sat in silence. She didn't know what to say to her cousin to make things better. There was nothing to say in a situation like this. Because Kylie knew that no matter what words were spoken, nothing would appease the young boys mind. Nothing except for seeing his mother and father, their friends, again.

When Daryl and Glenn came back a minute later, Kylie knew that there was no trouble inside the house. With a sigh of relief, Kylie swung her crossbow onto her shoulder, and told Carl to grab on of the bags before they left the Bronco and followed the two men into the house.

It was dark inside. The only light coming from the camping lanterns and some candles that Kylie had found. Silently, the group of four ate their meager dinner, no one knew what to talk about.

With a sigh, Kylie put her now empty can of spaghetti-o's on the floor and stood.

"Got something for dessert" she told the others. Kneeling in front of her bag, Kylie turned and revealed two packages of Twizzlers. The sight causing Carl's face to brighten slightly. "They might not be the best now, but hey... it's something, right?" Kylie smiled, tossing one of the packages to her cousin.

"Yea" Carl said, returning the woman's smile. "You know..." he trailed off, tearing open the plastic. "I still remember the first time you gave me these."

"Is little Carl gunna tell a story for once?" Kylie joked, sitting back down between Daryl's legs. "Good, I could use a break" she added with a dramatic sigh. There was a moment of silence after that.

"Well, go on then, little man" Daryl prompted, pulling one of the red ropes from the package that Kylie held.

"It was my first time going to the movie theater" Carl started, twisting a Twizzler between his fingers. "We went to go see The Incredibles..."

"Disney, why doesn't that surprise me" Glenn scoffed playfully.

"Zip it Mushu" Kylie glared, tossing a Twizzler at him. "Continue on, oh great story teller" she directed to her cousin.

"Kylie disappeared for a bit, I just figured she went to the bathroom or something" Carl continued "I think mom said that she was doing something bad, can't remember what." Kylie remembered. She knew what Lori and said to Rick that day. Even though she had been on drug testing, Lori had assumed that her niece was in the bathroom smoking pot.

She was, but that wasn't the point.

"All of a sudden, she comes back with lots of popcorn and soda..."

"Munchies" Daryl whispered in Kylie's ear, low enough that Carl couldn't hear him. His remark caused Kylie to discreetly jab her elbow into the man's ribs.

"And when she just sat down and handed me the Twizzlers, told me to eat up" Carl smiled. "I remember mom didn't really want me to have them, didn't want me to spoil my dinner. But dad just told her that it was a treat, and it would be fine. Kylie told her that we would split them, that way dinner wouldn't be spoiled."

"We went to McDonalds" Kylie held back a scoff.

"And we still had some candy when we went home. I still remember what you told me that night" Carl told his cousin. "That we were all superheroes in our own way and that we were all Incredible" he smiled.

"It was a good day" Kylie nodded, leaning her head back against Daryl's chest.

"Yea, it was" Carl agreed.

They were silent after that, each one of them munching on their snack and enjoying the fact that they were alive. That they would reconnect with their people in the morning. It was when Carl failed to stifle a yawn that Kylie decided it was time for them to go to sleep, or at least try to.

As they tried to figure out watch schedules, and sleeping arrangements, Daryl went about securing the house for the rest of the night. The likelihood of anything or anyone stumbling across them in their sleep was slim, but they wanted to be protected just in case.

Knowing that Kylie and Daryl needed as much alone time as possible, Glenn had offered to share a room with Carl. Something that was appreciated by the two hunters.

Kylie sighed in relief when she stripped off her jacket and weapons. Though her gun wasn't all that far away from where she had curled up in the large bed, just in case. Once Daryl joined her in the bed, Kylie instantly shuffled towards his warm body and let out yet another happy sigh.

They didn't speak, both too tired to form words. Instead they accepted the silence, Kylie slowly drifting off as Daryl played with her dark hair. For just a moment, it felt like nothing outside was happening, and that they were a normal couple enjoying being in eachothers arms.

* * *

 **AN: Okay so super short chapter. Sorry for that. I'm also sorry for not posting last week. There's been some familial drama and of course i have developed what is known as 'pregnancy brain'. (For those of you who have had children, you know what I'm talking about). Plus I've been super distracted by comic books lol.**

 **Anyways. So I'm going to apologize for Kylie's little 'life lesson' to Carl. That was corny and uncalled for. Truthfully, I only wrote that because I couldn't think of anything else. I wanted her to have said something that would have held an impact on her cousin. Sadly that was all that I could come up with.**

 **When it comes to the Disney references in this story, I try to be as accurate as possible. If I hadn't told you guys already, I'll tell you now. Frozen and anything else that came after 2010 will NOT be making any kind of appearance in this story. According the this show, the world ended in 2010, so it would make sense that things from more... _recent_ times would not be mentioned. So yea, fair warning lol.**

 **Originally, I was going to have some...playtime with Kylie and Daryl at the end of this chapter. But really it didn't seem to fit. Maybe if Glenn and Carl weren't in the room right next to them, lol.**

 **Coming Up Next On _In The End_ : Kylie gets a surprise,the scavenging quartet meets back up with the others, and Lori throws a fit. So come abck next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter Forty Seven

Carl surprised Kylie the next morning with a black and white mickey mouse beanie while they were packing up their supplies. He had seen the cap during their trip to the Goodwill and couldn't resist grabbing it. Kylie, of course, appreciated the present, telling the young boy that it was a good find and would help her a lot in the coming winter months.

"Ky, check this out" Daryl called out the moment Kylie finished loading up her Bronco. Looking towards the house, she saw her boyfriend staring into the depths of the garage. curious, Kylie walked toward the leather clad hunter and followed his line of vision into the garage. "It's only gunna get colder" he said.

Other survivors, probably even their own group, had already picked through what supplies could be found in the garage. Several large or useless items had been left behind. Including an older motorcycle trailer.

"You're right" Kylie nodded. "Come on let's get this hooked up" she added, only to be stopped by Daryl.

"Nah, you go sit with the kid. Glenn and me got it" Daryl told her. Kylie went to argue, but Daryl simply cut her off with a pointed look. So with a sigh, Kylie went to help Carl finish loading up the Bronco.

Thankfully, Glenn and Daryl were able to get the trailer hooked up to the 4x4 with no issues. Just as they were about to load and strap down the Triumph, Kylie saw movement in her rearview mirror.

"Shit" she cursed before leaning out the window to get the attention of the two men. "Ya'll might want to hurry that up" she told them, pointing towards the small pack of walkers that had found them.

Normally the trio could handle such small numbers on their own. But they had Carl to look out for. The last thing Kylie wanted was to get caught in the same situation as the Goodwill. Rick and Lori would never forgive her.

As Daryl and Glenn worked hastily to load up the motorcycle, Kylie started up the Bronco and cranked the engine. Sadly, however, the noise caught the attention of the walkers. She kept her eyes on the two men outside while her little cousin worried in the passenger seat. The walkers were getting to close.

Time slowed as Daryl and Glenn rushed to finish their work and jump from the trailer to the open back window of the Bronco. For once Kylie was happy she had forgotten to close it. The second she saw the men safe, Kylie took off like a bat out of hell. Taking out some of the walkers with the tail end of the trailer in the process.

* * *

It didn't take them long to reach the rest of the group. The second that the four of them walker through the doors of the small house, both Carl and Glenn were all but attacked with hugs and kisses. Carl more so.

"How'd it go?" Rick asked his niece.

"Got some of the things we'll need for winter" Kylie shrugged. "Might not be able to stay here more than another night" she added in a low voice, causing her uncle to sigh and run a hand over his tired face.

"Yea, I figured as much" the man said. "How'd he do?" Rick asked, nodding towards where his wife was fussing over Carl. But before Kylie could answer, Lori stormed over. Holding Carl's new knife.

"You let him kill a walker!?" the woman screeched and Kylie couldn't help but scoff.

"Yea, maybe next time I'll let the walker eat my face off" she said, folding her arms over her chest.

"We got ambushed at the Goodwill" Glenn explained, his arm slung over Maggie's shoulders. "Daryl and I couldn't get to her in time. If Carl hadn't killed the walker, Kylie would be dead."

Lori didn't seem to have much of a response, instead she turned on her heel and stormed away from them. Kylie sighed as she fixed her ponytail and looked towards her uncle. She needed his reassurance that letting Carl tag along was a good idea. But instead, the eldest Grimes turned to his son.

"I'm proud of you Carl" he said. "You saved your cousin's life."

"Come on, ya'll" Carol spoke up, breaking the tension. "Lunch is ready."

Lori kept her distance from the others while they ate. Every now and again she would shoot a glare at her husband, who sat with Daryl and Kylie.

Kylie wished that her aunt would see where everyone was coming from. Sure Kylie understood where Lori was coming from, but one would think that after what happened with Sophia that the Grimes matriarch would want her child to be able to protect himself. Though she loved her aunt, Kylie just couldn't understand the woman's thought process.

As they ate, Carl regaled the group with the story of his heroics. Much to his mothers chagrin. Of course the boy exaggerated some parts of the story, but no one really cared. Everyone was safe and sound.

And that's what mattered.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, so a short little bit of filler for you guys. No seriously, I think this might be the shortest chapter I've written for this story, lol.**

 **So remember the thing Carl grabbed for the Goodwill that nobody saw him grab? Yea that was the hat, lol. I saw it on Polyvore when I was still working on Season One and I knew that Kylie NEEDED that hat, lol. So I gave it a sort of backstory, lol.**

 **Also, the random motorcycle trailer thing that Daryl finds...well like the man said, it's only gunna get colder. According to Google, georgia got snow that year (i'm striving to make this story as accurate as possible, lol) and motorcycle+snow=bad times. So yea, they needed something to haul Daryl's bike.**

 **I was struggling to find a way to let Lori know about the walker Carl killed. It was difficult so, I just did it 'off-screen' and went from there. Kylie's response is probably the greatest line in this chapter, lol.**

 **Coming Up Next On _In The End_ : Kylie, Rick and Daryl teach the others. Daryl tries to distract Kylie. And a few of the girls go for some practice. So come back next week to see what happens next!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: To those of you who live in the US, Happy fourth! Hope you all have a good one and stay safe!**


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter Forty Eight**

Winter had come in full swing, and the walkers had slowed down with it. Though they didn't have to move from place to place quite as much, the group still hadn't found any place permanent. No place they could stay in for more than a week.

During their time on the road, Rick and Kylie began teaching the others how to use different kinds of weapons. Well, everyone except for Daryl, who seemed well adapted with any weapon tossed his way.

Alone time for the couples of the group was getting scarcer. Any minute they could get away from the others was a blessing they took greedily. Even if it was a simple run for supplies.

Lori's pregnancy had progressed, and with it so did the silence between her and the rest of her family. As Lori's stomach grew larger, Kylie couldn't help but wonder who's child her aunt was carrying. She wanted to believe that the baby was Rick's, but the likelihood of it being Shane's was too high.

Though Kylie and Lori still weren't speaking, Kylie would still pick up whatever baby supplies she could find. The only people who knew what she was doing were Daryl, Glenn and Maggie. Not that she could really get much and still keep it a secret. Almost every store they raided had been picked clean of formula, but Kylie was still able to pick up a package of diapers, wipes, bottles and a couple of unisex onesies.

They were going in circles. That much was obvious. Every town and neighborhood had been ransacked and food was getting harder to track down. Even hunting was poor. Daryl and Kylie made do with whatever game they could find. That was their alone time.

More than anything, the winter toughened them all.

* * *

"I don't need your permission, you know" Kylie huffed as she pulled on her dirty long sleeved shirt. "You don't have to get me naked every time you disagree with something" she added.

"You complainin'?" Daryl asked from his spot on the bed, their blankets bunched up around his waist.

"No" Kylie sighed, coming back to sit on the bed next her boyfriend. "I'd never complain" she added. "I just wanna take Carol and Maggie out for some target practice."

"After what happened the other day?" Daryl asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Daryl" Kylie sighed "It was over two weeks ago, and I had everything handled" she told him.

"Ky, the fucker had a gun to your head" the hunter reminded.

"Yea and the second the barrel hit my temple he had a hunting knife to his nads."

That ended their conversation as Kylie stood from the bed and pulled on her underwear and jeans. Daryl followed her example and began dressing as well. They had spent most of their morning in bed, which was unusual for the two hunters who were usually awake before the sun rose.

Though normally the group had never spent more than a week in one location. And they had been staying in the musty two-story house for just over two weeks. Kylie knew that their stay would be short lived, so her and Daryl were taking the privacy they were given to the fullest.

Without speaking, Kylie walked over to where her and Daryl's bags were propped against the wall and started preparing for her day. Once her crossbow, gun and knives were strapped into their rightful places, Kylie hooked her new military grade tomahawk to her belt and stood from her crouch.

"We'll be fine Daryl" she sighed, walking over and kissing him lightly. His worry was starting to aggravate her. Daryl didn't say anything, instead he simply kissed her forehead and walked out of the room.

Pleasantries were exchanged between the others as Kylie walked over to where Maggie and Carol were getting ready while Daryl went to find Rick.

"So where are we heading today?" Carol asked once she saw Kylie.

"Same as yesterday" Kylie told her. "I'm gunna grab something to munch on then we can head out." The other two women nodded and finished their tasks as Kylie went to get herself a small helping of cold oatmeal. Her stomach growled in protest, but it wasn't as if she had many options.

Not even ten minutes later, the three women said their goodbyes and left the house.

There was still snow on the ground, which was both a blessing and a curse. The walkers had slowed to the point where they could avoid them. However with the snow fall, any hostile humans could easily track them.

Thankfully, the women knew how to protect themselves. Kylie more so than the others, thanks to her lifestyle before the world ended.

"So have you heard from D-Pooly lately?" Maggie asked as the trio walked threw the thinning snow.

"Nah, not for a few weeks" Kylie shook her head, her blue eyes darting rapidly.

"Do you think he's alright?" Carol's still soft voice spoke up. Just about everyone in the group knew about the stranger Kylie had been communicating with. They just didn't really know who he was, though Kylie had a strong feeling that it was her friend.

"I hope so" Kylie sighed, her gaze snapping towards a lone walker stumbling towards them through the slush. Without blinking, Kylie pulled her pink crossbow off of her back and fired an arrow straight between the walkers eyes. Maggie and Carol weren't even phased as they continued forward, Kylie taking back the arrow as they passed by the dead walker.

* * *

 **AN: So first of all I want to apologize for taking so long to update. The past month has been crazy. On August 5th, I went into labor and had my daughter that night. For the following week I was taking care of both my newborn and my boyfriends grandmother who was here for doctors appointments.**

 **And on top of everything else, the WiFi card thingy in my laptop is still refusing to work and I haven't been able to get on line for the past few months. But thankfully it was working today. So now im gunna upload every chapter that I have built up for this story to make up for that long wait.**

 **Anyways what did you all think of this chapter? I know not much really happens but we get to see a little bit of their winter and the group training.**

 **Originally I was going to write more of the group's winter traveling. But honestly I couldn't think of what to do that would keep the story canon. Although I have started to read the comics and I might end up adding some story arcs into ' _In The End_ ' it's just deciding which ones to use without screwing with the story line of the show all too much. **

**As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0(Iris RainbowWolf)0(**

 **PS: Since I'm uploading every chapter today, I'm not gunna bother with the 'Coming Up Next' part of the authors notes**


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter Forty Nine

Soon enough, the winter snows had melted and the group was met by the warm winds of spring. And with the spring, came the defrosted walkers. They were prepared though, just about everyone was armed with a gun, only to be used when all else fails. Kylie and Daryl had even taken it upon themselves to teach the others a little about hunting. Mostly how to build snares and how to gut their kills.

As usual the group was on the move, spending most of their time running from house to house. And they were going in constant circles. But they had a system, a routine one that kept them safe and effectively eliminated the dead.

"How many are inside?" Rick as his niece when she finally returned to the cars. She had been the one elected to take a peek inside, see how many walkers they would be going up against.

"I couldn't tell" Kylie sighed, running a hand over her dirty and tired face, leaning against the Bronco next to her uncle.

"Alright, I'll take point." Rick nodded as he signaled the others to follow. "You sure you don't want to stay behind?" he asked when he noticed Kylie stifle a yawn.

"I'm fine, Rick" she said, pushing off her dirty 4x4 to move back towards the house. Only to wobble and be steadied by Daryl.

"You're staying in the car" was all her boyfriend said before opening the driver's side door and guiding her to sit. "You've been pullin' double watches for the past week, and barely even sleepin' when you get the chance."

Kylie knew that it was pointless to argue with him. Especially when she saw the look on her uncle's face, the one that told her that he agreed with the hunter. Sighing, she jumped into the seat and rested her head on the wheel. And after a silent goodbye, Kylie was left alone.

She could swear that her eyes were only closed for a second when she heard Rick's shrill whistle. Telling the group that the house was safe and clear. Kylie didn't talk to the others as they all shuffled into the house with their bags. The second she walked in, Kylie walked straight for Daryl, who was busy plucking the feathers off of a scrawny owl.

Still nobody talked as they went about fortifying the house and settling in. Everyone was drained from their months on the road, bouncing from house to house with barely any food or sleep. Now that spring was upon them, she knew that hunting was bound to get better. Kylie just hoped that the group's luck would change, and that they could find a place to rest their heads for more than a night or two.

From her spot on the floor at Daryl's feet, Kylie's eyes were starting to flutter closed once more when T-Dog signaled that they had company. With a sigh, she pushed off of the ground and grabbed her and Daryl's duffle bag. Yet another place ruined by walkers.

Quickly and quietly, they moved from the house and drove away from the oncoming dead.

* * *

When the caravan finally stopped, Kylie stayed behind the wheel of the Bronco for a second longer than necessary. She was just about to open the door when Daryl tapped on the window and opened the door for her.

"When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off" she heard Maggie point out from where she stood with T-Dog. "We'll never make it south."

"What would you say? That was about 150 head?" Daryl asked as they approached the others.

"That was last week" Kylie yawned, resting her head against his arm.

"It could be twice that by now" Glenn added.

"This river could have delayed them" Hershel pointed out. "If we move fast we might have a shot to tear right through there."

"Yea, but if this group joins with that one, they could spill out this way" T-Dog added.

"So we're blocked."

"Only thing to do is double back at 27" Rick told them, pointing to their route on the map. "Swing towards Greenville."

"Rick, we picked through there already. It's spotless." Kylie told her uncle.

"Man, it's like we spent the winter going in circles" T-Dog stated, causing Kylie to nod.

"Yea that's cuz we did" was all she said.

"I know. I know" Rick nodded. "At Newnan we'll push west, haven't been through there yet."

After everything was decided, T-Dog took some of their water jugs to fill up at the creek. Though she wanted to go with Daryl and her uncle to try for some food in the woods, Kylie opted to go with T-Dog. Hoping that the cool water and heavy lifting would help wake her up for the rest of the drive.

By the time they made it back with the water, Rick and Daryl were already standing by the cars. Both men holding serious, yet gleeful, looks. Silently, Kylie listened as her uncle told them of the strong hold he had found. A place they could go with high fences and towers. Maybe they could even make this place their home.

All they needed to do was take out the hundred of walkers that had claimed it. But Kylie was confident. She just never thought that a prison would be the place she would finally call home.

* * *

 **AN: Alright so there's the second ITE chapter of today. What did you think? Questions concerns?**

 **Okay so before anyone jumps to conclusions, no nothing is wrong with Kylie. She is not sick, she is not pregnant. I haven't even decided if I wanted her to go in that directions anyways. It just seems like too many TWD fanfic authors go that route. And I mean, it makes sense I guess. Birth control of any form is hard to come by, and people have sex.**

 **So yea I just wanted to point out that Kylie is absolutely fine. Just super duper tired lol.**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter Fifty

It was theirs for the taking. As she watched her uncle clip open the outer fencing with a set of bolt cutters, Kylie's blue gaze darted to the walkers. There was more of the dead than the living, but if they went about this smart then the walkers didn't stand a chance.

One by one the group made their way through the hole and into the dog run. Bringing up the rear, Kylie pulled a few zip-ties from her pocket and quickly closed up the hole in the fence. Instantly the walkers noticed the scent of fresh meat and started hobbling towards them.

"Son of a bitch" Kylie grumbled when one threw itself against the fencing, only to get a knife through it's eye socket.

"It's perfect" Rick muttered a few minutes later once the group stopped running. "If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers."

"If this works, we can have the field by tonight" Kylie nodded, her hand gripping the strap to her crossbow tightly.

"So how do we shut the gate?" Hershel asked.

"I'll do it" Glenn offered. "You guys cover me."

"No" Both Maggie and Kylie stated at the same time.

"I'm the fastest" was the man's defense.

"No. You, Maggie, Kylie and Beth draw as many as you can over there" Rick ordered, pointing to where he wanted them to be.

"Be annoying as fuck and pop 'em through the fence, go it" Kylie nodded. Seeing that the group of four understood their jobs, Rick continued giving out orders.

"Daryl, go back to the other tower. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. Take your time, we don't have a lot of ammo to waste" He told the woman, before moving on to Hershel and his son. "Hershel, you and Carl take this tower."

The moment Rick said he would run for the gate, everyone snapped into action and ran to where they needed to be.

"Come on you ugly ass mother fuckers!' Kylie yelled as she led walkers away with the others, while Rick ran through the yard. Over the snarling and shouting, Kylie could hear the scattered gun shots. Everyone in the towers were taking their time, only firing when necessary.

The moment Kylie heard Daryl voice yell out over the yard, she let out a sigh of relief. In an instant, Kylie sheathed her hunting knife and pulled her hot pink gun from it's holster. As she took fire, so did the others and walkers began dropping like flies.

When the last walker fell, Kylie rushed over to the yard's entrance and helped Lori slide the gate open.

"Nice shootin'" she complimented Carol.

"All thanks to you" the older woman smiled. "You okay?' she asked Lori.

"Haven't felt this good in weeks."

"Oh, we haven't had this much space since we left the farm!" Carol exclaimed they all walked out into the prison yard.

"How you feelin'?" Daryl asked Kylie, slinging his arm over her shoulders.

"Mmmmm, better now" she hummed, leaning into her boyfriends chest.

* * *

Dark had fallen, and after the group cleared away as many walker bodies as they could, they had set up camp. They even were able to enjoy a nice dinner for once. The only people who still hadn't joined them around the small fire, was Daryl and Rick.

"Mmm, just like mom used to make" Glenn joked as he tossed away a bone.

"Tomorrow we'll pull the bodies together" T-Dog started "want to keep them away from that water. Now, if we can dig a canal under that fence, we'll have plenty of fresh water."

"And this soil is good. We could plant some seed, grow some tomatoes, cucumbers, soybeans" Hershel offered.

"Sounds like a plan to me" Kylie yawned from her spot on her and Daryl's blankets. Sleep was threatening to grab a hold of her.

"That's his third time around" the old man pointed out, causing Kylie to glance over to where her uncle was checking the fences for any damages. "If there was any part that was compromised, he'd have found it by now."

While the others chatted and reveled in their new found safety, Carol had stood to bring Daryl a bowl of food. Kylie simply nodded thanks to their friend and allowed her eyes to flutter shut. She was vaguely aware of Beth and Maggie singing before she felt the heat of her boyfriend behind her.

Humming with content, Kylie rolled over and snuggled into his chest. It only took seconds for her to fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

It was obvious that they would be pushing in to the prison. So when Kylie was told the plan in the morning, she wasn't surprised. Though Rick had asked her to join him and the others on the other side of the fence, she had declined and offered to help the others.

Just as they did the day before, Kylie and the others distracted what walkers they could and took them down through the fence with whatever silent weapons they had on hand. As the massacre continued, Kylie kept her eyes trained on Daryl. The couple didn't normally separate.

It wasn't until the others pushed inside the cell block that Kylie began to get nervous. Anything could happen, and Kylie wouldn't know until it was too late.

So to distract herself, Kylie began taking out walker after walker. Almost taking pleasure in watching the rotting corpses fall to the ground.

Twenty minutes later, the group was bringing their belongings into cell block C.

"What do you think?" Rick asked them as they walked through the doors.

"Home sweet home" Glenn joked.

"For the time being" Rick nodded.

"It's secure?"

"This cell block is" their leader nodded.

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asked.

"In the morning, we'll find the cafeteria and infirmary."

"God, how many times did I get out of coming to this place as a kid" Kylie joked, nudging her uncle playfully.

"We sleep in the cells?" Beth asked.

"I found keys on some guards. Daryl has a set, too." Rick said.

"We ain't sleepin' in no cage" Daryl told his girlfriend "We'll take the perch." Nodding Kylie began climbing the stairs so that she could help Daryl pull two mattresses out of a nearby cell and set up their bed.

"Just as well" Kylie sighed once she pulled their thin blankets out of the duffel bag. "I spent years trying _not_ to sleep in a prison cell bein' someone's bitch. Ain't about to start now" she joked.

Though it was still light out, everyone seemed to be taking time to themselves for the night. Getting a needed, and well deserved, sleep.

Tomorrow was a big day.

* * *

 **AN: sweet chapter three for today, six more to go.**

 **So the group is officially in the prison, and they are slowly going to make it their own.**

 **Now we all remember the fact that Kylie was a delinquent, correct? Yea, I had to have her joke about being in prison. Kylie wouldn't be Kylie if she wasn't, lol.**

 **Soooooooo yea, like usual let me know what you guys think.**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter Fifty One

Kylie was almost surprised at how well she was able to sleep. Even though there was absolutely no privacy in the spot that Daryl had chosen for them, being able to sleep on a mattress with no interruptions was more than she could hope for.

As it turned out, everyone had enjoyed their night of peace. When Kylie woke up the next morning, she realized that everyone else was still asleep, even Daryl. With a smile, Kylie rolled over and placed a light kiss to her boyfriend's throat before sitting up on their bed and stretching her tired muscles.

Shortly after, the others started to rise and get ready for their day. There were still bodies that needed to be hauled out of the cell block, along with whatever debris the prisoners and guards had left behind. If they were lucky, some of the corpses of those guards would be carrying some weapons. Kylie had seen the riot gear that some of the bodies were wearing, and she had a feeling that Rick would want to salvage and sterilize the gear. Better safe than sorry.

While the group ate a meager breakfast, they made their plans for the day. First, move whatever bodies were left behind outside. Them Rick was taking a small group to scout out the rest of the prison to try and find the infirmary and cafeteria. Meanwhile, whoever stayed behind would clean up their cell block. Make the prison more of a home.

"Rick, I'm gunna stay back when you guys scout out the rest of the prison" Kylie told her uncle, causing the others to look at her almost strangely. Ever since she reunited with the group on the farm, Kylie could barely stand being separated from Daryl. Especially on potentially dangerous missions.

"You sure, Lee?" Rick asked.

"Yea" she nodded. "You guys have been bugging me to slow down the entire winter. This is me slowing down." No one argued with her as they finished clearing out the bodies.

* * *

"Oh hell yea!" Kylie grinned when she looked at the weaponry that they had lined up on the steel table.

"Not bad" Daryl nodded as he turned the LED flashlight on and off.

"Flashbangs, CS triple chasers..." Rick trailed off. "Not sure how they'd work on walkers, but we'll take 'em."

"I ain't wearin this shit" Daryl told them as he picked up a slime filled helmet they had pulled off of one of the walkers outside.

"That's gross" Kylie wrinkled her nose. "Ain't going anywhere near my head."

"We could boil 'em" T-Dog suggested, watching the walker-slime drip from a glove.

"Ain't enough firewood in the whole forest. No"

"Not happenin'" Kylie agreed. "Besides, we made it this far without 'em, right?"

As they looked through their various new weapons and gear, Kylie looked towards the cell Hershel had disappeared into. Kylie knew that Lori was more than nervous about giving birth, she had to be, and the only person who could really calm her nerves was Rick.

Sighing, Kylie looked towards Daryl and shook her head at his curious glance.

Soon enough, everyone was gearing up to explore the rest of the prison. Or at least a portion of it. They needed to find the infirmary and cafeteria.

"You sure you wanna stay behind?" Daryl asked lowly, leading Kylie away from the others.

"Yea, I'm still pretty tired and there's still a lot to do around here" Kylie nodded, looking around at the debris that littered their cell block.

"Alright" was all her boyfriend said before kissing her lightly. "See ya when we get back."

Seconds later they were gone, and Kylie had a ball of nervousness growing inside of her. She couldn't help but fear that something was going to go wrong. Letting out a shaky break, Kylie turned towards Carol and Beth.

"So, who wants to have a pillow fight?"

* * *

Hours later Kylie was sitting in an empty cell, cleaning the blood stains from the stone walls. The gut feeling she had when Daryl and the others left was still prominent. It was so strong that she felt nauseous. Something bad had happened on the scouting mission. A feeling that was confirmed when Rick's frantic voice echoed through the cell block.

Something really bad had happened to Hershel.

Dropping her scrub brush, Kylie rushed from the cell to see everyone rolling a bloody Hershel into a cell. Looking around, she saw that the only one missing was Daryl.

"What happened?" Kylie was as she followed the others, choosing to believe that Daryl was alright.

"He got bit" came her uncle's response.

"You do that?" Kylie asked, nodding head towards the blood soaked shirt that covered the old man's lower leg.

"Yea, cut it off" Rick nodded.

"Maybe you got it in time" Lori offered.

Biting her lip, Kylie watched as Hershel was lifted and transferred from the rolling cart to the clean cot.

"Lee" Rick spoke up, looking towards his niece. "Go check up on Daryl" he told her, motioning towards where he and the others had come from. Kylie could tell, however, that her uncle wasn't just picking up on her nervousness for her boyfriend, but that something more than Hershel getting bitten happened.

Quietly, Kylie walked through the gate and went into the open room on the other side. Letting out a sigh of relief when she saw Daryl. But that relief was short lived when she saw how tense he was, he barely even acknowledged her presence as he reloaded his crossbow in preparation.

Kylie didn't need to ask what was going on to know that it was something bad. So she followed her boyfriends lead and pulled her gun, keeping it down at her side with the safety off.

Slowly, five men wandered into the cell block.

"That's far enough" Daryl spoke when he first man walked through the door. But it was the blonde haired white man that had Kylie's attention. She recognized him, she just couldn't place where she had seen him.

Judging by the worn and dirty jumpsuits the men wore, Kylie could tell that they were all prisoners. A theory that was confirmed by the mexican looking man.

"Cell block C, cell 4. That's mine, gringo. Let me in" the way he spoke sent eerie chills down Kylie's spine. She also wanted to gag when she realized that she had just been cleaning this man's cell.

"Today's your lucky day, fellas" Daryl told them. "You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia, you're free to go."

"What you got going on in there?"

"Ain't none of your concern" came Daryl's response. He didn't seem to be focusing on anyone other than the long haired hispanic who who seemed to be the ring leader.

"Don't be telling me what's my concern" the man said, pulling a gun from his waistband. Instantly, Daryl's crossbow was raised higher and Kylie brought her gun up as well.

"Chill, man. Dude's leg is messed up" stated one of the other men, who seemed to be about twice the size of Daryl. "Besides, we're free now. Why are we still here?"

"Man's got a point" Kylie growled, her sights on the man with the gun.

"Yea, and I gotta check on my old lady" said another of the prisoners.

"A group of civilians breaking into a prison you got no business being in...got me thinking there ain't no place for us to go" stated the ringleader.

"Why don't you find out?" Daryl told them

"Maybe we'll just be going now." The blonde mans voice sounded familiar, Kylie knew that she had heard it before. She just couldn't place where. If they did know each other, the man didn't recognized Kylie. Which was probably a good thing.

* * *

 **AN: Just a few more chapters to go guys! I hope you are all enjoying the back-to-back posts!**

 **So who is the blonde haired guy, and why does he look so familiar to Kylie? Well you guys won't have to wait as long as usual to find out!**

 **Since I'm not posting weekly, the authors notes aren't going to be very long. But honestly I don't think you guys care, so long as there's more Darlie-ness right! Yea I don't blame you lol.**

 **Plus im trying to make this as quick as I can before the baby wakes up again lol**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainowWolf )0(**


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter Fifty two

After a short argument and an unbelieved description of what had happened to the world, the prisoners were led out into the yard. A place they hadn't seen in almost a year. Rick and Daryl had tried telling Kylie to go back into the cell block, but she wouldn't hear of it. Insisting on following them outside.

"Never thought I'd be so happy to see these fences" the ringleader, whose name turned out to be Tomas, smiled.

"You never said, how the hell did you get in here in the first place?" asked the smallest of the prisoners. Though he said his name was Andrew, Kylie internally was calling him 'bitch'.

"Cut a hole in that fence of there by that guard tower" Daryl answered from next to Kylie.

"That easy, huh?"

"Where there's a will, there's a way" the hunter shrugged.

"So what is this, like a disease?" the biggest of the men asked as he poked one of the walker-corpses with a stick. Kylie couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry" she said when the others looked at her. "Dude just poked a corpse with a stick, thought it was funny."

"We're all infected" Rick ignored his niece.

"What do you mean infected?" the blonde man, whose name Kylie never caught, asked them. "Like AIDS or something?"

"If I was to kill you" Daryl started "shoot an arrow in your chest, you'd come back as one of these things."

"Gunna happen to all of us" Kylie shrugged.

"Ain't no way these Robin Hood cats are responsible for killing all these freaks" Tomas all but scoff in disbelief.

"Must be fifty bodies out here" 'Bitch' added in.

"Where'd you come from?" Tomas asked, looking mostly at Rick.

"Atlanta"

"Where you headed?" the ringleader asked, and Kylie could tell the direction the man was going to go.

"For now? No where" Kylie answered for her uncle, her cold blue eyes narrowed on Tomas. They were all silent for a moment, as Tomas looked around at the corpse filled yard. And Kylie wanted nothing more than to put an arrow through his eye. There was something about him that just rubbed her the wrong way.

"I guess you can take that area down near the water" Tomas suggested, pointing to the small corner of the yard. "Should be comfortable."

"We're using that field for crops" Rick told him.

"We'll help you move your gear out." Tomas blatantly ignored Rick's words. It was obvious to Kylie that Tomas was attempting to prove that he was the one in charge, and glancing at her boyfriend she could see that Daryl saw the same posturing that she did.

"That won't be necessary" Rick said. "We took out these walkers. This prison is ours."

"Slow down, cowboy."

"You snatched the locks off our doors" Andrew stepped in to back up Tomas.

"They're a dime a dozen, we'll get you some new ones" Kylie sassed.

"This is our prison, we were here first" Tomas shrugged.

"Yea, locked in a broom closet" Kylie scoffed.

"We took it, set you free" Rick continued. "It's ours, we spilled blood."

"We're moving back into our cell block" Tomas stated.

"You'll have to get your own."

"It is mine" Tomas said, Kylie could feel the change in the air around them. Things were about to get heated. "I've still got personal artifacts in there, that's about as mine as it gets!"

As Tomas shouted, he pulled the gun from his waistband. Instantly Kylie, Daryl, Rick and T-Dog raised their weapons in defense. Kylie knew better than to tell the irate prisoner that whatever he had in his cell was in a trash can.

"Maybe let's try to make this work out so everybody wins" the blonde man stepped forward, trying to diffuse the tension.

"I don't see that happening" Tomas said, keeping his beady eyes narrowed on Rick.

"Neither do I."

"I ain't going back in that cafeteria for one more minute."

"There are other cell blocks" the blonde man pointed out.

"Could leave" Daryl said from behind the sight of his crossbow. "Try your luck out on the road."

After that, it was settled. The prisoners and Rick's group would work together to clear out another cell block, in exchange for half of the food in the cafeteria. Of course Andrew had something to say about it, but he was almost easily shut up by the threat of being sent out into the walker infested world.

* * *

Minutes later, they were walking back to the cafeteria. This time there were less walkers, and more corpses along the path. Daryl and Rick had tried to talk Kylie into staying behind with the others, but she wouldn't hear it. After what happened with Hershel, she wanted to stick with Daryl and her uncle. She was even going with them to clear out another cell block for the inmates.

"You never tried to break out of here?" T-Dog asked as they walked into the dirty cafeteria.

"Yea, we tried to take the doors off" Oscar stated "But if you make one peep in here, then those freaks'll be lined up outside the door growling, trying to get in. Windows got bars on there that He-Man couldn't get through."

"Bigger than a five-by-eight" the blonde man, who Kylie learned was named Axel, said. It was obvious he was trying to look on the bright side.

"You won't find me complaining" The largest of the men, Big Tiny, said. "Doing fifteen, my left leg can barely fit on one of those bunks."

"Yea, they don't call him Big Tiny for nothing" Oscar added.

"You done jerking eachother off?" Tomas snarked, leaning against the doorframe. "Sick of waiting back here."

Looking at her uncle, Kylie saw him cock his head to the side slightly before resting his hand above his trusty Colt Python. Her back stiffened slightly in preparation, Kylie knew what her uncle was preparing for. Tomas wasn't to be trusted, and if he even _breathed_ the wrong way, he was going to be on the floor. That much was obvious.

While everyone piled into the pantry, and Daryl slid passed Tomas, Kylie stood behind everyone. Observing. She listened as then men talked, as Tomas tried giving them less than what was agreed upon.

Her pink Sig Sauer had been holstered and now, as she watched the exchanged between her uncle and Tomas, her crossbow was held tightly in her hands. Only to almost clatter to the ground when Rick opened a large steel door. Bombarding them with a scent worse than decaying walkers.

"Can't wait for my own pot to piss in" Axel said, keeping his head down.

Not to long later the four of them were carrying their share of the food into C Block. Once Kylie and Daryl dropped the bags of food they were both carrying, they walked around the cell block, collecting whatever melee weapons they could find and putting them on display for the prisoners to choose from.

"Got everything?" Daryl asked her, looking over their meager arsenal.

"Yea, I think so" Kylie sighed, pulling her dark hair into a tight ponytail. She stood silently for a moment, looking over her crossbow and making sure that everything was in order.

"You be careful" Daryl told his girlfriend as he took the bow from her hands and grabbed her wrists. "I don't like the looks of these guys."

"They're harmless, Daryl" Kylie told him, tilting her chin up to look him in the eye. "Except for Tomas, but we can handle him."

"Any of 'em even _looks_..." But Kylie didn't let him finish his threat.

"They'll have an arrow to the skull in a heart beat" she told him. Just as everyone was filing back into the room, Kylie lifted herself up slightly, kissed her boyfriend and pulled herself from his grasp. "Alright, ya'll. Let's get 'er done."

* * *

 **AN: Soooooo yea chapter 52, sweet deal, lol. Just a few more to go. Once I'm doing posting all of these wonderful chapters for you guys, I'm totally going to write my ass off for soooooooo many stories so that I can do another binge-post lol.**

 **Ugh, Tomas and Andrew are gross. I really don't know what else to say. I'm just glad that they died and that we didn't have to endure them for long lol.**

 **Okay, so yea, let me know what you guys think about this chapter and Kylie's opinion on the prisoners!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter Fifty Three

"Why would I need this, when I have this?" Tomas asked once they were all gathered around the table.

"Cuz firing a gun is fucking stupid" Kylie scoffed from next to Daryl, her arms folded over her chest.

"You don't use 'em unless your back's up against the wall" Daryl agreed. "Noise attracts 'em. Really riles 'em up."

"We'll go in two-by-two" Rick began "Daryl will run point with T. I'll bring up the rear with you" he added, pointing the tip of his machete towards Andrew.

"Where's that leave me, Rick?" Kylie asked her uncle.

"Lee, you're gunna be dead center" he told her, sending his niece an apologetic look. "Stay tight, hold formation. No matter how close the walkers get. Anyone breaks ranks we could all go down."

"Anyone runs off, oops we thought you were a walker and now you have an axe in your head" Kylie added, looking directly at Tomas, who didn't seem to hear the threat in her words.

"And that's where you aim" Daryl informed the inmates. "These things only go down with a head shot."

"Ain't gotta tell us how to take out a man" Tomas chuckled, sending a glance in Andrew's direction.

"I bet you do" Kylie rolled her eyes. "Too bad they ain't men."

"They're something else" T-Dog agreed.

"Just remember, go for the brain" Rick told them.

Without another word, the inmates all grabbed their weapons as Daryl went to open the gate. Instantly T-Dog went to the front with the hunter, and they were on their way to another cell block.

As they walked through the halls, Kylie watched Tomas from her spot between the inmates. So far they weren't met with any walker resistance, but Kylie knew it was just a matter of time. She just didn't know what she would do if the dead got a hold of one inmate in particular.

Just as Kylie suspected, she heard the tell-tale shuffling and snarling of hungry walkers. Only two came from around the corner, and before Daryl or Rick could say anything the inmates rushed forward in attack. Hitting everywhere but the walkers head.

"What the actual fuck?" Kylie asked as she watched Axel stab a walker over and over in the stomach.

"I think they're trying to kill them" T-Dog said.

Rolling her eyes, Kylie walked forward and pulled her hunting knife. After shoving Axel out of the way, she shoved the serrated blade up through the walkers jaw, killing it instantly while T-Dog did the same with the second walker that Tomas and Andrew were trying to kick to death.

Once the two walkers were dead, the group moved forward.

"It's gotta be the brain." Daryl stated once more when they heard more walkers shuffling towards them. An arrow flying from his crossbow a second later, dropping the first walker. "Not the stomach, not the heart. The brain."

This time the prisoners seemed to get the picture as they went up against the walkers. Dropping one after another with clear shots to the head.

"Stay in tight formation, no more prison riot crap" Rick told them after shoving his blade through a walker's eye.

Walker after walker began to swarm them. But were quickly brought to the ground. After kicking out the leg of a particularly tall corpse, Kylie heard the screams. Followed by gunshots. The echo on the stone walls causing her ears to ring. It was obvious who had fired the gun and as she came around the corner, Kylie saw Big Tiny's hand covered in blood.

He had been bitten.

Everything happened in a flash before Kylie's eyes. Big Tiny showing them the bite and telling them that he felt fine. And Rick apologizing, there was nothing they could do for him. The poor man was going to die.

The other inmates all had suggestions on how to save Big Tiny. None of which would again the large inmate tried to state that he was alright, only to be cut off by a crowbar to the head.

Tomas seemed to snap after that, smashing Big Tiny's lifeless body over and over again with the crowbar. Blood splattering all over himself and the walls.

Without saying a word, the group began walking through the halls once more. Only this time, Kylie, Daryl and Rick brought up the rear.

"You see the look on his face?" Daryl asked, low enough so that the others wouldn't hear him.

"He makes one move..." Rick didn't even need to finish his sentence to know what he was getting at.

"Just give me the signal" Daryl nodded.

The moment they stepped into the laundry room, everything happened quickly. Tomas was given the keys and was tasked with opening just one of the double doors that would lead him into the next cell block. But of course, instead of doing as he was told, the prisoner threw both doors open and they were met by a small herd of the dead.

They all jumped into action after that. Killing walker after walker. But it seemed Tomas had other plans as he threw a still moving walker at Rick.

"Rick!" Kylie called out for her uncle, plunging her knife into the temple of an oncoming walker.

"T, mind the gap!" Daryl shouted, pulling his own knife before killing the walker that was on top of his friend.

The room went deathly quiet as the last walker fell. Once she was sure that there was no more threat from the dead, Kylie went to stand next to her boyfriend. Watching the stand off between Rick and Tomas.

"It was coming at me, bro" Tomas shrugged nonchalantly, trying to cover for the fact that he tried to kill Rick.

"Yea, yea I get it" Rick nodded, looking at Daryl and Kylie. "Shit happens."

Then without blinking, Rick brought his machete down through the center of Tomas' skull.

* * *

 **AN: Ugh thank the gods that Rick ended that shit. Well, almost. He should have made sure that Andrew was actually dead. If he did then Lori probably wouldn't have died. Well, not during childbirth anyways.**

 **Again, short AN.**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter Fifty Four

The next few days were spent making the prison into a true home for the group. For Kylie, this was the safest place she's been in since the outbreak started. Even with criminals just a cell block over. Carol, Lori and Beth seemed to be the only ones who were truly nervous about sharing the prison with Axel and Oscar. The only one in the group who wanted to bring the inmates into the fold was T-Dog. But Rick, of course, was not going for it.

After Kylie and the others had helped clear out D Block, she finally remembered why Axel looked so familiar. But she wouldn't dare tell the others, except for Daryl of course. Kylie just couldn't see how the others would understand.

In a week, life seemed to find a new normal. Every day after breakfast, most of the group would go out into the yard and pile up walker after walker. While that was happening, Lori, Beth and sometimes Carol would look after Hershel who had finally woken up.

Alone time had even become more frequent since they had decided to start using the guard towers for watches. Something Kylie was extremely grateful for. Though she was still against sleeping in a jail cell, Kylie still wanted the privacy that the perch she shared with Daryl didn't offer. And it really wasn't any secret what went on in the guard tower at night.

"Okay, let's get the other car in. We'll park 'em in the west end of the yard." Rick stated after Kylie parked her Bronco in the prison yard. She didn't understand why they were just now bringing in their cars.

"Good" Daryl said as he walked over to Rick. "Our vehicles camped out there look like a giant 'vacancy' sign."

"After that we need to load up these corpses so we can burn 'em" Rick continued.

"Where's Glenn and Maggie, we could use some help" Carol asked after parking one of the cars just outside of the gate.

"Up in the guard tower" Daryl said, pointing towards the tower in question before sharing a look with Kylie.

"Guard tower?" Rick asked "They were just up there last night."

"Yea, but last night was for watch" Kylie giggled.

"Glenn! Maggie!" Daryl called out. A minute later, Glenn opened the tower door before he finished buttoning his jeans.

"Hey, uh, what's up guys?"

"You comin'?" Daryl asked, causing Kylie to laugh even harder.

"What?"

"You comin'?" he asked asked, this time causing T-Dog, Carol and Rick to laugh as well. It was obvious that Glenn didn't really understand the joke. "Come on, we could use a hand" Daryl finally relented.

While Glenn and Maggie disappeared back into the tower room to finish getting changed, everyone else moved back to the cars to finish bringing everything in. Just as she turned to help, Kylie noticed both Axel and Oscar standing at the fence that separated their cell blocks.

"Fuck" she muttered when T-Dog got Rick attention and pointed out the appearance of the inmates.

"Come with me" Rick told Daryl, T-Dog and Kylie and without question they walked towards the chain link fence.

Kylie was silent as Axel and Oscar tried to plead their case. But no matter what the men said, Rick wouldn't budge. It was either stay, and clear out cell block D or leave the prison and survive in the outside world. Even Daryl was on board with Rick's plan.

"Are you serious?" Rick asked, looking between T-Dog and Kylie. "You want them living in a cell next to you? They'll just be waiting for a chance to grab our weapons. You wanna go back to sleeping with one eye open?"

"I never stopped" T-Dog all but shrugged. "Bring them into the fold. If we send them off packing we might as well execute them ourselves."

"I don't know" Glenn sighed. "Axel seems a little...unstable."

"That's cuz he is" Kylie scoffed. "Dude's been that way for years but he's not a threat."

"How do you know?" Carol asked.

"Who do you think taught me how to strip a car?" was all Kylie said before walking away from the others. "I'm gunna check on Hershel" she added over her shoulder.

Kylie knew what the outcome of the conversation would be. It was pointless to argue when it was just her and T-Dog against the entire group.

* * *

Hershel had decided that since they had found the crutches, he might as well use them.

"You ready for this old man?" Kylie asked with a smirk as she leaned against the wall to Hershel's cell.

"As I'll ever be" Hershel smiled back. "How's it looking out there?" he asked.

"Better" she sighed. "Hopefully we can get all the bodies out by the end of the week. That way we can start planting as soon as possible."

A minute later, Lori, Carl and Beth walked into the cell with a set of newly refurbished crutches.

"Just take your time" Lori told him as he started to sit up.

"Daddy, don't push yourself."

"What else am I going to do?" Hershel chuckled as he stood, bracing himself on the bed with one arm so that he could grab the crutches Lori was holding out to him. "I can't stand looking up at that bottom of that bunk anymore..." Of course he lost his balance at first. But was kept upright by both Beth and Kylie. "You know...I think I'm pretty steady" he said a moment later after taking a few steps.

"That's a good start." Lori smiled. "Wanna take a rest?"

"Rest?" Hershel asked with a chuckle. "Let's go for a little stroll."

Slowly they led Hershel out of the dreary cell block and into the prison yard.

"You cleared all those bodies out?" the old man asked.

"Yea, and it was a pain in the ass" Kylie told him. "Dead bodies are heavy" she added jokingly.

"Even so. It's starting to look like a place we could really live in."

"Let's hope so" was all Kylie said in response. She didn't dare get her hopes up.

Everyone was enjoying the fresh air, the sun, and Hershel's speedy recovery. If it wasn't for Carl, Kylie wouldn't have noticed the walkers. The ones coming from inside the prison. There was no point in staying quiet, the walkers had already found them. Instantly everyone was firing rounds and taking out the walkers.

Even though she had her gun drawn, Kylie didn't stay in the yard. Instead, she led Hershel and Beth back to the caged stairs that would hopefully keep them safe.

"Daddy look out!" Beth shouted to her father. Looking over her shoulder, Kylie saw a walker start to climb the stairs after them. But Hershel easily shoved the walker back down the stairs before he joined the two women in the doorway.

The second the gate was locked, Kylie looked around. By herself, she didn't have the ammo to take on the walkers that were trying to get through the steel cage. But she still had to try, it was up to her to keep both Beth and Hershel safe.

"Beth, take my knife" Kylie ordered as she took aim. "The one in my boot."

So much was happening that Kylie could only concentrate on two things, killing walkers and Daryl's voice shouting for her. Everyone was scattered, and things were only going to get worse.

"What the hell happened?!" Rick shouted he, Daryl and Glenn rounded the corner.

"The fucking gate was open!" Kylie shouted back as she took out another walker.

"Where's Lori, Carl...everyone else?" he asked.

"Maggie led Lori and Carl into C block" Hershel said.

"And T was bit" came Beth's input. Kylie didn't see that happen, and her heart broke at the potential loss.

"Anyone else?"

"Couldn't tell" Kylie said, not making eye contact with her uncle as she shot down another walker through the cage.

"Stay put" Rick commanded. "Lee, keep them safe."

Barely a minute went by and the walkers had been cleared out of the yard. Kylie watched as her uncle, Daryl and Glenn looked towards where Axel and Oscar stood. It was obvious to her that her family was blaming the inmates for letting the walkers in. Or at least knowing something about it. But Kylie knew that it was impossible.

After seeing that there were no more walkers in the area, Kylie reached for the lock on the cage's gate. Only to be interrupted by a blaringly loud siren.

"Get behind me" Kylie told the two others who were in the cage with her. Instantly they did as they were told before Kylie used her last two rounds to shoot out the speakers above their heads.

"Ky, stay here" Daryl told her after Rick had a short, but heated, conversation with Oscar. "We gotta shut off them generators."

So Kylie waited. Chewing on her lip nervously. Though she had promised herself that she wouldn't be separated from Daryl in a crisis again, Kylie knew that she had absolutely no choice in the matter. She just had to believe that everything would be alright. That they would be alright.

At first everything was fine. The generators had been shut off, silencing the alarms, and the walkers had been taken down. But they weren't alright. _Nothing_ was alright. That much was obvious when they were all met with a new sound. A baby wailing for it's mother.

"No" Kylie breathed when she saw Maggie come forward holding a baby. It was obvious where the baby had come from, and what had happened to the mother. Lori was gone.

* * *

 **AN: So now we know how Kylie knew Axel. He was her delinquent guru, lol.**

 **Okay, so honestly, I struggled for a long time with that last scene. A part of me wanted to have Kylie get lost in the Tombs with Carol, or be with Rick and Daryl. One thing I knew for a 100% fact was that I didn't want Kylie to be with Lori, Carl and Maggie. EVERYBODY DOES THAT! So, ultimately I had Kylie protecting two of the "weakest" group members. That amde more sense for her character.**

 **Just a couple more chapters to go guys!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter Fifty Five

Daryl and Maggie had gone on a run for baby food, the only thing Kylie hadn't been able to find over the winter. She and Glenn were going to go with their significant others, at first, but soon they realized that the roads were so backed up that they would only be able to take Daryl's bike. Maggie instantly jumped at the chance to go on the run. While Glenn had tried to get his girlfriend to stay, Kylie knew that her friend _needed_ this run.

Everyone was doing what they could to deal with the losses of Lori, Carol and T-Dog. All Kylie could do was sit silently in the new clear cell block, with the newborn baby girl nestled safely in her arms. She had already cleaned the excess blood and mucus off of the baby. Silently, Kylie diapered, clothed and swaddled the infant before simply sitting and staring at the innocent face.

It was all she could do to keep her mind focused. To keep from breaking down.

The sun had just barely set when Daryl and Maggie returned to the prison. Kylie had passed the baby off to Carl minutes before.

"How she doin'?" Daryl asked as Kylie and Beth walked over to them.

"She's good, just hungry" was all Kylie said as she started mixing a bottle. Something she had perfected years ago when Carl was a baby. The second the formula was mixed, Kylie turned to hand it over to the boy. Only to see the new born in Daryl's arms, almost stumbling at the sight.

There was silence in the cell block as Daryl got the little girl to latch onto the bottle's nipple. Sending a smile in his girlfriends direction as the baby drank her fill.

"She got a name yet?" he asked quietly.

"Not yet. I was thinking maybe Sophia." Carl said, causing Kylie to feel a familiar twinge at the girls name. "Then there's Carol too. And Andrea, Amy, Jacqui, Patricia. Or... Lori" he sighed. "I don't know.

Sensing the despair that ran through the group, Daryl looked back at the baby.

"You like that?" he asked her. "Little Ass-Kicker. That's a good name, right?" he asked the group this time. Everyone laughed and agreed. Kylie simply smiled at her boyfriend, never before seeing this side of him. It was endearing to say the least.

With the baby finally fed, and resting in an old mail bin, everyone dispersed for the night. Beth had offered to look after the baby until Rick was... better. It was obvious to everyone that the man wasn't in a good place just yet. He still hadn't returned from the depths of the prison, and Kylie feared for her uncle.

* * *

Over the next few days, life at the prison found itself a new norm. The group had set out a flimsy schedule on who would be on watch and who would be clearing the prison of corpses. All while Rick was still wandering around the prison. Kylie had taken to checking to make sure her uncle was still alive at least once a day. He was in turmoil, but he was alive and that's what mattered.

She had even tried talking to him, but was only met with mutterings. Something that unnerved her immensely.

But Kylie couldn't dwell on the worry she held for her uncle. She had work to do and it wasn't going to get done by wallowing.

Daryl had woken up early, leaving Kylie to sleep in for once while he went out to hunt for their breakfast. Kylie knew that her boyfriend was doing something more out in those woods. Looking for one thing in particular, something that meant a lot to one of their lost. Carol.

Over the winter, while training Carol, the three had grown closer. Daryl and Kylie had even brought Carol out of her meek little shell. Not all the way, but enough to make sure she would survive on her own if need be. Carol had become Daryls best friend, almost like an older sister. On occasion Carol would jokingly flirt with him, only to get a laugh out of Kylie before she joined in.

Suffice to say Carol Pelletier was going to be missed.

After getting ready for the day, Kylie met the others in what had become their dining area. Everyone was eating their breakfast when Rick finally into the room. The blood that Kylie had seen covering her uncle had finally been washed away and he was wearing a fresh set of clothes.

"Everybody okay?" he asked.

"Yea, we are" Maggie answered as Rick stepped closer to the table to stand near his son.

"What about you?" Hershel asked.

"I cleared out the boiler block." At his answer, Kylie looked down at the steel steps that her and Daryl were sitting on.

"How many were there?" Daryl asked.

"I don't know. A dozen, two dozen" their leader answered before letting out a small sigh. "I have to get back. Just wanted to check on Carl."

"Rick, we can handle taking out the bodies. Okay? You don't have to." Glenn offered.

"No I do" came the unhinged man's response. "Everyone have a gun and a knife?" he asked, walking over to where Daryl and Kylie were sitting.

"Yea" Daryl nodded. "We're running low on ammo though."

"Maggie and me were planning on making a run this afternoon" Glenn put in. "Found a phone book with some places we can hit, look for bullets and formula."

In any other circumstance, Kylie would have laughed at Glenn's statement.

"We cleared out the generator room" Kyle finally looked up at her uncle. "Axel's in there now, he's good at stuff like this."

"We're gunna sweep the lower levels as well" Daryl nodded.

Rick seemed to like the plan that the group had come out with as he nodded his head and sped away from them once more. Never once looking at his daughter and ignoring Hershel's calls. Kylie leaned her head back against Daryl's leg and sighed deeply. Today was going to be a long day.

Once they were finished eating, Kylie had Carl gear up. He was going with Daryl, Oscar and herself to clear out the lower levels of the prison.

They moved slowly through what Kylie figured was solitary confinement. Carl still wasn't speaking, so when Daryl whistled lowly to get the boys attention, Kylie stayed slightly behind with Oscar. Half listening as Daryl told her cousin a story from his childhood.

"You know" she heard Oscar speak from beside her. "Axel's actually mentioned you a few times."

"Good things I hope" she joked.

"Yea, said you the fastest with a wrench that he'd ever seen. But he called you something else, didn't really use your real name much."

"Pixie Dust" Kylie smiled. "Back in the day we all had nicknames."

"What was Axel's?" Oscar asked, shining his flashlight at the decaying walker corpses.

"McQueen"

"What, like, Steve McQueen?" the man's question caused Kylie to chuckle lightly.

"Nah, Lighting. You know, _Cars_?" she informed. "I was an absolute Disney fanatic. So just about everyone in the crew got Disney related nicknames."

Suddenly Carl and Daryl stopped walking, and Kylie listened to what her little cousin had to say.

"I shot my mom" the boy said. "She was out, hadn't turned yet. _I_ ended it. It was real" he added before putting his head down. "Sorry about your mom."

"I'm sorry about yours" Daryl responded. "Come on" he added, putting a hand on Carl's shoulder before leading them further down the hall.

They walked silently after that. The only noise coming from their feet on the cement floor. There weren't even any walkers. No _living_ ones at least.

"Oh, that's what I'm talking about" Oscar spoke up, moving from his spot behind Kylie and into an empty cell.

Looking inside, Kylie watched as the ex-inmate picked up a pair of old slippers.

"What the hell you need slippers for?" Daryl asked, causing Oscar to look up at them.

"You know, end of the day. Relaxing" came the mans response.

"I can dig it" Kylie shrugged. Daryl just looked at them both as if they were crazy. Kylie went to say something more, but was instantly interrupted by the sound of an in coming walker. In a split second, Carl and Oscar pulled their guns while Daryl and Kylie raised their bows. Each one of them firing a bullet or arrow into the walker.

"Whew" Daryl breathed "Alright."

"Must have been in the cell at the end" Oscar said as they stepped forward, Daryl shining a light on the cadaver. "We checked everywhere else."

"Daryl, is that...?" Kylie trailed off, looking at the object protruding from the walkers neck.

"Carol's knife" he said after pulling it from the dead flesh and cleaning the blade on the dead inmates jumpsuit. Looking down at the knife in her boyfriends hand, Kylie let out a shaky breath. It wasn't proof that their friend was alive, not in the least. "Ky, head on back to the cell block" Daryl told her.

Knowing that he needed to be alone for a bit, Kylie simply nodded her head before leading Carl and Oscar away.

The second they were back in the cellblock, Kylie left and went to go sit out in the yard. Finding Carol's knife was too much for her to handle. It was one thing believing that her friend had died, but it was something else to see something that would solidify the fact.

Minutes later, Kylie heard the door open. Looking towards the cage, she saw Rick holding the baby with Carl at his side. Followed by both Beth and Hershel.

"She looks like you" Kylie heard her uncle say to Carl. And she couldn't agree more.

"I think she's cuter" she spoke up softly from her spot at on of the picnic tables. As she joined her family, Kylie was instantly handed the baby.

"You got her?" Rick asked.

"Yea. Rick, whats..." following her uncles gaze, Kylie saw what he did.

There was a woman at the gate, covered in blood. Carrying a shopping basket full of baby formula.

* * *

 **AN: Okay so again I struggled with what I wanted to happen here. A small part of me wanted Kylie to go with Glenn and Maggie, but then I thought "everybody does that". And I can't see Kylie and Merle in that situation. Though I didn't show it in the early chapters of this story, Merle and Kylie were _sort of_ friends. Not like Kylie and Daryl in any way shape of form, of course. But they had a... an understanding, I guess you could say. So yea, lol.**

 **Also, I think my favorite scene in this chapter is that moment with Oscar and Kylie.**

 **So yea, I hope you guys liked this chapter. Just one more to go for today!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf)0(**


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter Fifty six

They ended up bringing the woman into the prison with them, before the walkers smelled the fresh blood coming from her leg. The sword she carried was instantly taken from her, along with her bag and the basket of formula. Kylie knew instantly that something had happened to her friends. But something in her gut said that it wasn't this womans fault. If it was, she wouldn't have brought the formula to them.

"Carl get a blanket" Rick ordered as he carried the woman into their cell block. "Beth, water and a towel"

"Here?" Carl asked, even though he was already putting the blanket down in their small dining area's pantry. Where they could cage her in.

"She's not coming in the cell blocks" was Rick's answer.

From a distance, Kylie watched silently as her uncle poured cool water over the woman's blood-soaked body. As she stirred awake, Rick did his best to calm her down before asking who she was. But instead of answering, the woman instantly reached for her sword. As Rick kicked it away, Kylie could tell that the woman was more than just afraid.

"We're not going to hurt you" Rick told the woman, taking her arms in order to restrain her. "Unless you try something stupid first, alright?"

"Rick" Daryl's voice broke through, causing everyone to look at where the man stood in the doorway. "Who the hell's this?" he asked, walking further towards them.

"You wanna tell us your name?" Rick asked the woman. Only to repeat the question when she didn't answer. She was still silent.

"Ya'll come on in here" Daryl told them.

"Everything alright?" Kylie asked her boyfriend.

"You're gunna wanna see this" was his answer. Kylie looked him in the eye, hoping to see what he was alluding to. Only to see nothing more than a hint of happiness.

A minute later, she saw what Daryl had wanted to show them. Sitting on the bed in her cell, was Carol.

"Where the hell did you go, lady?" Kylie joked as she hugged the older woman.

"Solitary" came Carol's reply.

"Ew" was all the brunette could answer with as she wrinkled her nose.

"Poor thing fought her way into a cell" Daryl said, wrapping his arm around Kylie's shoulder. "Must have passed out. Dehydrated."

That's when Carol saw the baby for the first time. Looking at Rick she knew instantly what had happened. That Lori had died days ago, and all that was left of her was the little baby girl in Beth's arms.

"I'm gunna go see if I an get anything out of our guest" Kylie said softly, just loud enough for Daryl to hear her, before walking back towards the cage.

But Kylie didn't even speak to the woman. Instead, she simply sat on the other side of the bars without saying a single word. A couple minutes later, she was joined by Daryl, Rick and Hershel. With a heavy sigh, Kylie lifted herself off of the cement floor and followed the men into the room they were holding the woman in.

"We can tend to the would for you" Rick said as they walked over to her. "Give you a little food and water, and then send you on your way. But you're gunna have to tell us how you found us and why you were carrying formula."

"The supplies were dropped by a young asian guy with a pretty girl" the woman finally answered.

"Mushu and Magpie" Kylie said quietly. Just as she suspected.

"What happened?" Rick asked. He had obviously sensed the womans earlier fear and was trying to be as soft as possible.

"Where they attacked?" Hershel asked.

"They were taken" the woman answered, looking Hershel in the eye before her focus was brought back to Rick.

"Taken? By Who?"

"By the same son of a bitch who shot me" the woman answered.

'Hey, these are our people" Rick said, moving closer to her. "You tell us what happened now!" he added, putting a painful amount of pressure on the womans wounded leg.

"Don't you ever touch me again!" she all but growled as she jerked away from Rick.

"You better start talking" Daryl threatened. "or you're gunna have a much bigger problem than a gunshot wound."

"Find 'em yourself" the woman said, sending a glare towards Daryl. Looking at the scared woman in front of them, Kylie rolled her eyes and pushed her boyfriends crossbow down.

"You came here for a reason" Kylie stated, finally standing in front of the woman, who was barely holding herself up.

"There's a town. Woodbury. About 75 survivors. I think they were taken there" she finally answered, causing Rick to come forward.

"A whole town?"

"It's run buy this guy who calls himself the Governor... pretty boy, charming, real Jim Jones type."

"Ugh I hate him already" Kylie said, just by the sound of the womans voice Kylie knew that this Governor person was bad news.

"He got muscle?" Daryl asked.

"Paramilitary wannabes" she told them. "They have armed sentries on every wall."

"You know a way in?" Rick asked.

"The place is secure from walkers, but we could slip our way through."

* * *

The rescue team had been put together. As their numbers were low, and they still needed people to stay back and protect the baby and Hershel, only five people were going. Rick, Daryl, Oscar, Kylie and the woman whose name they had finally learned was Michonne.

Though they had taken a car, the rescue group didn't drive all the way to Woodbury. For obvious reasons.

"They have patrols" Michonne told them as she secured her katana across her back. "We're better off on foot."

"How far?" Rick asked. "Nights coming."

"It's a mile. Maybe two."

"Company incoming" Kylie said as everyone finished grabbing their gear from the trunk. Sure it was just one walker, but usually where there was one more were sure to follow.

Silently the small group of five walked through the woods. Kylie and Michonne were in the lead while the men brought up the rear. Though she kept her ear on her surroundings, Kylie could still pick up the small conversation between Rick and Daryl. She just chose not to listen in on what she could only assume was something private between the two men.

"Rick" Kylie whispered, hoping to not draw attention to them as she hear the snarls of walkers nearby. Thankfully Rick heard her and ordered them to get down, hoping to not be seen by the dead.

"Formation. No gunfire" he told them lowly, quickly moving past Kylie and Michonne to bring his machete down on the soft skull of the closest walker. Instantly they all sprung into action. Taking down as many walkers as they could.

"Fuck, there's too many of them" Kylie told her uncle as she fired an arrow and brought down yet another walker. It was obvious that they wouldn't be able to kill off the entire pack of walkers.

"This way" Rick said as he grabbed his pack from the ground and pointed to an opening in their path. But if course the walkers were hot on their trail. Picking up their pace the group rushed into an abandoned cabin. Kylie almost gagged as soon as she entered.

"Oh my god this place in rank" she said as she covered her nose and mouth with her hand. Quietly they moved deeper into the only room of the house, only to find the decaying corpse of an animal.

"What the hell is that?" Oscar asked.

"Nasty is what it is" Kylie groaned.

"Gotta be a fox" Daryl said. "Or what's left of one" he added, shining light on the poor animal.

"Guess Lassie went home" Kylie said. "Poor puppy."

The solitude of the cabin was short lived, however, as the walkers finally caught up to them and started banging against the doors and windows. But it wasn't just the walkers they needed to worry about. They weren't the only ones in the cabin.

* * *

 **AN: So that's the last chapter for today guys. And of course it's on a cliff hanger!**

 **I'm hoping to get some more writing done today. Mostly for _In The End_ and my Young Justice story _Silver Arrows_.**

 **Hopefully my daughter will let me lol**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Irid RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: I love you all, and thank you all soooooo much for sticking with me and Kylie and my sporadic posting lol. You are all so awesome**


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter Fifty Seven**

Somehow the man they had found sleeping in the cabin didn't know about the chaotic world outside his front door. He was also extremely volatile, which ultimately caused his death. Thankfully he was fresh enough that his body would distract the walkers while they snuck out the back door.

They had spent the rest of the day moving at a steady pace towards Woodbury. Every step they took was another step towards rescuing their friends. By the time they made it to the walls of the town, night had fallen.

Michonne had told them that Woodbury had a curfew. But there were still people out on the dark streets. Stragglers, she said as they all hid themselves in a storage room.

"We're sitting ducks in here" Kylie whispered as Daryl peeked out the window.

"We need to move" Rick agreed.

"They could be in his apartment" Michonne offered. Suddenly Kylie realized that Michonne's' experience in Woodbury was probably worlds different from what Glenn and Maggie were going through. It was more than likely that the woman had no clue where their friends were being kept.

"Yea? What if they ain't?" Daryl asked.

"Then we'll look somewhere else" Michonne bared her teeth.

"You said you could help us."

"I'm doing what I can" Kylie could tell that it was taking everything in the other woman not to yell.

"Where the hell are they?" Kylie grumbled to herself, before Rick motioned for her, Oscar and Daryl to the side. Obviously so that he could talk to them about Michonne.

"If this goes south, we're gutting her loose" Rick told them. Even though he was whispering, Kylie knew that Michonne would easily be able to hear them. She was only a few paces away from them, after all.

"You think she's leading us into a trap?" Oscar asked.

"Right now it's the blind leading the blind" Daryl pointed out. He obviously had the same thoughts as his girlfriend. Michonne only knew that Glenn and Maggie were in town. Not their exact location, that point was clear as day.

"Let's split up" Kylie suggested. Though she really didn't think it was a good idea to thin their numbers, the huntress knew that they would cover more ground. However, there was no way in hell she was going to let Daryl out of her sights. Never again.

Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. And said door opening.

"I know you're in here" a voice rang out, causing everyone to tense up. "I saw you moving from outside. Alright now. You're not supposed to be in here and you know it."

The second the man rounded the corner, Rick had him against the wall with the barrel of a gun shoved in his face.

"Shut up. Get on your knees" Rick growled, shoving the man to his knees. "Hands behind your back. Zip tie him" he ordered his niece. Instantly Kylie complied and grabbed the bits of plastic and tightened them around the man's wrists.

"Where are our people?" Kylie asked lowly, pulling the zip tie tighter. So tight that the plastic was almost piercing the mans skin.

"I don't know. I don't know" he shook his head in fear.

"You are holding some of our people" Rick told him in a deadly voice, "Where the hell are they?!"

"I don't know!" the man reiterated, shaking with fear.

"Open your mouth" Rick ordered a moment later, nodding towards Daryl who grabbed a cloth from a nearby shelf. Which was instantly shoved into the man's mouth, effectively silencing any noise he would make. And of course Kylie took it a step further by ramming the butt of her cross bow into the back of his head, causing the stranger to fall to the ground.

It was as they were heading for the door that the small rescue team heard gun fire. But it was the voice just beyond the door that made them all freeze. Though it was just for a minute.

Slowly, Rick cracked the door, instantly checking to see if the coast was clear. Once he was sure that they were alone in the area, Rick motioned for the group to follow.

* * *

They had searched a building or two before the group made their way to what looked like a shed labyrinth made of plywood and steel. To Kylie, it looked like the kind of place someone would be held and possibly tortured. Glancing towards Daryl, she could tell that her boyfriend had the same thoughts.

Silently they followed behind her uncle, with Oscar and Michonne bringing up the rear. Kylie's heart pounded in her ears as they stopped quickly and pressed themselves against the wall. Obviously they weren't alone in this building.

As soon as the coast was clear, they moved once more. Walking silently, with their weapons raised the group made their way into a large room. Where there were several people splayed out on the ground. Dead.

There was also a voice, one that Kylie vaguely recognized. But she just couldn't place it.

"On your feet, move. Let's go" they heard someone say. Followed by multiple footsteps. And they were coming in the rescue team's direction.

"Shit." Rick cursed. Thinking quickly, he and Daryl threw a smoke grenade and a flash bang into the area.

With Rick in the lead, they rushed through the smoke. Though her vision was blurred by the haze, Kylie could see the retreating backs of their enemy. And the crumpled forms of Glenn and Maggie.

Instead of firing on the easy targets, Rick and Kylie took the burlap sacks off of the heads of their family members. And other than the occasional cough, there was silence between all of them as they rushed through the smoke and made their exit. Dodging the few bullets that had been fired.

There was little resistance as they rushed through the doors and out onto the street. As they ran, Kylie could tell how beat up Glenn was. Her best friend was also shirtless. She was terrified about what had happened when she realized that Maggie was wearing the shirt Glenn had been wearing and not her own.

The realization about what had happened to her friend caused Kylie's stomach to turn.

"Inside, quick!" Rick whispered, leading the group into a dark building. Thankfully it was empty. The second they were inside, Glenn fell to the floor with Maggie right beside him. Instead of checking the area, Kylie knelt next her friends and tried to clean off the blood as best as she could. What was one more blood stain on her cut-off anyways?

"Ain't no way out back here" Daryl informed as he came back into the room.

"Rick how did you find us?" Maggie all but whimpered, her nose slightly stuffed up from crying.

"How bad are you hurt?" Rick asked Glenn.

"I'll be alright."

"Where's that woman?" Maggie asked, causing Kylie to look around. Apparently Michonne had ditched them.

"She was right behind us" Kylie said, biting her lip slightly.

"Maybe she was spotted. Want me to look for her?"Oscar offered.

"Not a good idea" Kylie shook her head.

"Kylie's right. We gotta get them outta here" Rick told him. "She's on her own."

"Daryl," Glenn spoke up as Kylie stole a shirt from the room they were in and handed it to her broken friend. "This was Merle."

Crickets.

Merle was here? He was alive? Though Kylie really couldn't say that she was all that surprised. Merle was a Dixon, after all. The man was too damn stubborn to die.

"It was." Glenn said. "He did this."

"You saw him?" Kylie asked.

"Face to face" Glenn nodded. Though Kylie could tell that it caused him a great deal of pain to do so. "He threw a walker at me. He was going to execute us."

"S-So my brothers this Governor?" Daryl asked, stepping forward.

"No, it's somebody else." Maggie shook her head. Though the others didn't notice, Kylie could see the small twitch her friend gave at the mention of the Governor. "Your brothers his lieutenant or something."

"Does he know I'm still with you?" Daryl asked.

"He does now" Glenn said while Maggie nodded her head. "Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."

"Don't" Kylie shook her head. "No need to apologize" she told her friend, putting a hand on his shoulder before rising to her feet and standing next to her boyfriend. Rick nodded in agreement before rushing back over to the window, making sure that their location wasn't going to be compromised.

"They're going to be looking for us" Maggie told him. That much was obvious. At least to Kylie.

Not only had the towns prisoners escaped, but the town itself had been infiltrated.

"We have to get back" Rick stated. "Can you walk?" he asked Glenn "We got a car a few miles out." He added as he made his way back over to Glenn. Ready to help the man walk if needed.

"I'm good" Glenn answered as Maggie helped him stand. Kylie bit her lip as she watched her best friend struggle. She knew he wasn't fine, but that he would push through it if need be,

"Hey, if Merle's around, I need to see him" Daryl spoke up. The words caused Kylie heart to drop.

As much as she cared about Daryl, and as much as Daryl cared about his brother. She always wondered what would happen if the Dixon's were reunited. Since the farm, Kylie had promised that she would stick by Daryl no matter what. But with this new threat...would she be able to leave if need be?

"Not now. We're in hostile territory" Rick told him.

"He's my brother! I ain't..."

"Look what he did!" Rick whispered harshly, pointing towards Glenn's swollen face. "We gotta...we gotta get outta here now."

"Maybe I can talk to him" Daryl offered. "Maybe I can work something out."

"No,no,no" Rick shook his head. "You're not thinkin' straight. Look no matter what they say, they're hurt."

"Glenn can barely walk" Kylie added in, causing her boyfriend to glance at her.

"How are we gunna make it out if we get overrun by walkers and this governor catches up to us?" the older Grimes Continued. "I need you. Both of you" he added, looking at his niece. Rick knew that if it came down to it, Kylie would choose Daryl. Every time. "Are you with me?" Rick asked, looking back to Daryl.

Daryl just offered a nod. For nothing more than a second, Kylie grasped his hand before letting go. Then they were on the move.

* * *

Even though Daryl and Kylie had laid out a smoke grenade cover, they were still spotted. Kylie's heart pounded as she lifted the barrel of her large gun and squeezed the trigger. She had killed before, but this was the first time she had been truly afraid of what was going on around her. Disarming someone at close range was easy. Dodging machine gun fire was another story.

"How many?" Rick asked as soon as they had taken cover in a small alcove.

"I couldn't tell." Kylie shook her head, releasing the magazine from her gun and replacing it with the new one Daryl handed her.

"Doesn't matter"Daryl added. "There's gunna be more of 'em. We need to move."

"Any grenades left?" Rick asked.

"Yea, a couple" Kylie nodded.

"Get 'em ready" her uncle ordered. "We gotta run into the wall."

"You guys go ahead, I'm gunna lay down some cover fire." Daryl stated.

"Are fucking serious? No!" Kylei growled.

"We gotta stay together" Maggie added.

"Too hairy" Daryl shook his head, turning to face his girlfriend. "I'll be right behind you" he added. A lump formed in Kylie's throat as Daryl place a kiss on her forehead, something he hadn't done in such a long time. The second he pulled away, Daryl pulled the grenade pin and tossed the cylinder into the street.

From under the cover of smoke once more, the rescue team moved towards the wall of buses. Kylie kept her blue eyes on Daryl the entire time as she stood guard, making sure no one came up on them and stopped their escape.

"No!" she heard Glenn shout, glancing over her shoulder, she saw Oscar fall to the ground. Dead.

"Shit. Shit. Shit" she grumbled, firing off a few rounds as she back away towards Glenn. Letting the gun hang around her shoulders, Kylie finished helping her friends over the bus. But not before Maggie shot Oscar in the head. Making sure their new-ish friend didn't become a monster.

"Rick! Rick!" Kylie shouted, prompting her uncle to come to them. "Daryl!" She shouted.

"Go" he yelled back.

"No..." she tried to get off of the bus. To join him in the fight. But Rick wouldn't let her. Instead he grabbed his niece's arm tightly and all but dragged her to the other side of the wall.

Quietly the rescue team, stopped by the broken down car. The same car they had lessened their arsenal beside.

"Come on Daryl" Kylie whispered as she grabbed the extra arrows she had hidden, along with the extra clip for her sig sauer. While her companions were watching the wall, making sure that they weren't seen, Kylie was watching their rear. Not only checking for unwanted visitors, but making sure that Daryl was right behind them like he promised.

When the dead leaves rustled with the sound of human footsteps, Kylie lifted her hand gun. Just in case it was an unfriendly. But instead of an enemy, or her boyfriend, it was Michonne.

"Where the hell were you?" Rick growled, cocking his gun and aiming it at the woman's head. "Put your hands up." And she did so, though wobbly, she even turned when Rick ordered. Only for Rick to take the sword from the woman's back. "You get what you came for?" he asked Michonne after he lowered his gun.

"Where are the rest of your people?" the woman asked causing Kylie to bite her lip and look in the direction they had come from. Daryl still hadn't shown up.

"They got Oscar" Glenn told her solemnly.

"Daryls missing" Kylie's rough voice came out. "You didn't see him?" she asked. She had to be sure. "If anything happens to him..."

"I brought you here to save them" Michonne said, jerking her head towards Glenn and Maggie.

"Thanks for the help" Rick nodded. Even though she had ditched them on the return, she did help get Glenn and Maggie out of the torture chamber. And that was something to be acknowledged.

"You'll need help getting them back to the prison. Or to go back there for Daryl..."Michonne tried. "Either way you need me."

"Rick, "Kylie said softly, her blue eyes showing the girl she used to be "I'm not going home without Daryl."

"I know Lee" Rick told her. "I know."

* * *

 **AN: So life has thrown me so many curveballs these past few months that updating ITE has sort of taken the back burner. At first,, I was just so tired from taking care of my new born that doing anything else seemed impossible. Plus I needed to update some of my other stories. Then I moved, and my father in law was diagnosed with throat cancer. So thats been stressful. But he's on the mend, and my daughter is six months old. And needs constant attention, lol.**

 **But through all that, i'm going to tryyy to update this more. My family and I are finally in our own place, and things are going ok. So hopefully I can update ITE more frequently.**

 **I can honestly say that I miss Darlie, and I miss you all, my lovely readers.**

 **So this chapter was an intense one to write. But I liked being able to sort of write those two parts of Kylie's development. The harsh, cruel survivor, and the playful woman.**

 **One of my favorite parts was that nod towards the earlier chapters, when Daryl kissed her forehead. They hadn't been separated in a while. So it was interesting.**

 **No promises, but I'm hoping to get the next chapter out by tomorrow.**

 **If my baby lets me, lol.**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**

 **PS: Ive started a face book page for my fics. I'll post excerpts and pictures for each of my stories. So if you go to facebook IrisRainbowWolf and give me a 'like' that would be awesome!**


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter Fifty eight

It took about a half an hour for them to delegate. To figure out their game plan and who would be going inside the walls of Woodbury. Though Glenn didn't like it, he had to stay behind. He was too hurt to go back in and fight. Rick had even tried to get Kylie to stay back, but that was a loosing argument. She wasn't going to stay back while they went to save her boyfriend.

So with her crossbow slung across her back, Kylie held the heavy machine gun in her hands once more as they made their way through the empty streets of Woodbury. Though they couldn't see any people, Kylie could hear their chants. The people of Woodbury were calling for death.

Hearing the people chant 'Kill them' over and over again caused Kylie's mouth to go dry. These people wanted to kill Daryl. As they drew closer, Kylie could not only see Daryl, but she could see Merle. Merle and walkers.

"Rick" Kylie said with a slight whimper to her voice.

"Don't worry, Lee" Rick said, looking to his niece with a reassuring gaze. "Maggie." He didn't say much else. Instead, he motioned for the farmers daughter to prepare herself and fire when ready.

With a nod, Maggie rose and rested the nose of her rifle on the edge of the dumpster they were hiding behind. A second later, Maggie squeezed the trigger and took out the walker nearest Daryl. Once the hunter was in the clear, she fired at will.

While Rick pulled hte pin on a smoke grenade, Kylie drew her own rifle and shot at the over head lights. An act that caused sparks to rain down on the people on the arena. Once there was a decent amount of smoke cover, the three of them fired into the crowd. Over the screaming, Kylie could hear Merle call out for his brother, telling him that they needed to go.

They really didn't need to do much. So instead they waited, with Rick shining a light on the crowd. With a hawk-like gaze, Kylie watched the people run by her. Not one of them being her boyfriend or his brother.

And then suddenly her was there, with Merle hot on his heels.

"Daryl, lets go, lets go" Rick urged him. Without another word, Kylie rose to the ground and ran along side her uncle.

No one spoke as they made their way through the dark town. Surprisingly they were met without resistance. The one person who tried to stop them, ended up on the ground, dead, by Kylie's hand. She could feel Merle's gaze on her and she could tell that the eldest Dixon was surprised that she was so quick to kill.

"Everyone's still at the arena, this way" Merle told them.

"You're not going anywhere with us" Rick told him.

"You really wanna do this now?" Merle asked as they made it to the hole in the buses. Only it had been blocked by a sheet of metal. While Merle pried back the obstruction, Kylie and the others stood watch.

Kylie could feel Daryl glancing at her every now and again, but she knew that now wasn't the time for a heartfelt reunion. They were in enemy territory after all. There would be plenty of time for all of that later on, when they were all safe and sound at the prison. At home.

"A little help would be nice!" Merle said loudly once they were all on the other side of the wall, bashing in a walkers skull with his metal-encased stub.

But more were closing in on them. Without thinking, Kylie let her gun hang off of her shoulder and pulled her knife. Briskly she walked passed Merle and plunged the blade into the head of the nearest walker.

"Thanks for the assist Blue Eyes" Merle smirked. Kylie did nothing more than give him the finger. "We ain't got time for this" he added after a moment before running towards the woods.

"Let's go" Daryl looked at Kylie before following his brothers lead.

With a sigh, Kylie glanced at her uncle before following after the Dixon brothers.

She knew that this wasn't going to end well.

* * *

The sun had risen by the time they made it back to the car. Kylie was honestly surprised that there was complete silence for the entire trip. She had expected an argument, a fight. But not silence.

"Glenn!" Rick called out, making sure his shout was barely more than a whisper, just in case they had company.

Suddenly Glenn's form broke through the treeline and approached Kylie and the others.

"Now we got a problem here, I'm gunna need you to back up " Rick told the younger man as he approached.

Not even a second later, Michonne drew her sword and Glenn advanced with his gun pointed atg them. Well, at Merle.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" Glenn shouted. And of course, there was an argument following. Rick and Daryl tried getting everyone to calm down, and drop their weapons. Kylie knew it was pointless. Even though she would always take Daryl's side in most matters, she couldn't possibly blame Glenn for his reaction. Merle did torture him after all.

So Kylie let out a sigh and leaned against a nearby tree, her cross bow in her hands. All of this shouting was bound to attract unwanted attention.

"Hey we both took our licks, man" Merle spoke out when Rick mentioned the grudge match between the brothers.

"Jackass" Kylie grumbled. And of course there was more shouting.

"Get that thing out my face!" Daryl told Glenn.

"Man, looks like you've gone native, brother" Merle chuckled.

"No more'n you hanging out with that psycho back there" Daryl responded walking back towards his older brother.

"Yea, man. He's a real charmer, I gotta tell you that" Merle smirked before looking at Michonne. "Been putting the wood to your girlfriend Andrea, big time baby."

"What?" Glenn questioned. "Andrea's in Woodbury?"

"Right next to the Governor" Daryl nodded. The fact made Kylie want to gag. How could Andrea be with someone so vile?

A second later, Michonne tried rushing forwards once more. Only for Rick to stop her again, ordering her to drop the sword. "You know Andrea?" he asked, but Michonne didn't speak a word. "Do you know Andrea?" Rick asked once more.

"Yup, she does" Merle answered. "Her and Blondie spent all winter cuddling up in the forest. Mm-mm-mm. Yea, my Nubian Queen here had two pet walkers." the redneck explained. "No arms, cut off their jaws, kept them in chains. Kind of ironic now that I think about it."

"Shut up, bro" Daryl growled. Inwardly Kylie smiled. There was a time that Daryl wouldn't have spoken to Merle like that. Unless it was about her, any one else he didn't give a shit about.

"Hey man, we snagged 'em out of the woods" Merle continued. "Andrea was close to dying."

"Is that why she's with him?" Maggie asked.

"Yea" Merle nodded. "Snug as two little bugs. So what you gunna do now, Sheriff, huh? Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thugs and cowards?"

"Shut up" Rick said.

"Oh, man, look at this" Merle just about mused "Pathetic. All these guns and no bullets in them."

"Merle, shut up!" Kylie and Daryl spoke in unison.

"Shut up yourself!" Merle responded, stepping towards his brother. "You bunch of pussies you roll..." but his rant was cut off by Rick who slammed his gun into the base of Merle's neck, knocking him unconscious.

"Asshole" Kylie grumbled as she went back to her post. There was a lot of yelling, and they were still in unfriendly territory.

While Merle was out and placed against one of the trees, the small party went to the side of the road. Discussing the fate of both Merle and Michonne.

"It won't work" Rick sighed.

"It's gotta" Daryl told him, staying as close as he could to Kylie.

"It'll stir things up."

"That Governor dude's probably on his way to the prison right now" Kylie told them. "We need to hurry this shit up." she added.

"Ky's right" Daryl nodded. "Plus, Merle know's how he thinks and we could use the muscle."

"I'm not having him at the prison" Maggie stated matter-of-factly.

"Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Carol or Beth or Kylie?" Glenn asked.

"Excuse me?" Kylie asked.

"Merle ain't no rapist" Daryl told them. That much was true. If it wasn't for Merle, then Kylie wouldn't have survived those weeks by herself.

"Well his buddy is" was Glenn's rebuttal, earning him a look from Maggie.

"No way they're still buddies" Kylie shook her head. "Not after what happened last night." As she thought about the scene she had witnessed last night, a shiver ran down Kylie's back.

"There's no way Merle's gunna live there without putting everyone at each others throats" Rick sighed.

"So we're gunna cut Merle loose and bring the last samurai home with us?" Daryl asked.

"She's not coming back" Rick corrected, glancing back at the injured woman.

"She's not in a state to be on her own" Maggie told them, biting her lip slightly.

"She did bring you guys to us"

"Yea and then ditched us" Kylie scoffed under breath.

From there, Maggie suggested that they bring Michonne back to the prison so that Hershel could look her over. Make sure the woman wa sin good health before sending her out into the walker infested world. Rick instantly shot that idea down, saying that the woman was unpredicatble. They couldn't trust her.

Merle was blood. That was Daryl defence. He was family, but according the Glenn he wasn't a part of _their_ family. And he didn't want the older Dixon to be agreed. And slowly the conversation was making Kylie's heart pound in her ears.

"Fine" Daryl said, looking towards his brother who had finally woken up. "We'll fend for ourselves."

"That's not what I meant" Glenn shook his head.

"No him, no me" Daryl said simply.

"I'll go get our stuff" Kylie told him, but the man just shook his head.

"You're not coming" he told her.

"You're kidding right?" she asked, her eyes starting to burn with un-shed tears. Kylie knew the answer, knew that he was going to leave her behind.

"You're not coming" Daryl repeated, his blue gaze turning to steel.

"Yes I am" Kylie growled, willing back her tears.

"No you ain't" Daryl told her, turning his gaze into what seemed like a glare. The look just about sent Kylie backwards. He had _never_ looked at her like that. "I'm sick of having to look after you" Kylie's breath caught in her throat as he spoke.

"Don't" Kylie said, her blue eyes pleading with her boyfriend.

"I'm sick of you hanging around me like some lost fuckin puppy." And then he drove the nail home. "I'm sick of you."

While Daryl turned and walked towards the car to grab his bag, Kylie stood still in the middle of the road. Shocked. Trying to to shed any tears, Kylie started to breath too deeply. She wouldn't let him see her cry.

"Don't ask me to leave him" Kylie heard Daryl state from where she stood. "I already did that once."

"So you can leave _her_ " Rick tried to lower his voice so that his niece wouldn't hear. But it didn't work.

Kylie didn't hear what her ...now ex-boyfriend said. All she saw was him shrug and continue walking.

She couldn't move. Couldn't speak, not one word as she watched Daryl grabbed his bag and sling it over his shoulder. It was when Daryl turned and glanced at her over his shoulder that her eyes welled up. He was doing it. He was really leaving her.

After all their time together, and apart. After she had promised to stick with him, he was the one leaving her.

Kylie's breathing became heavier and heavier as she fought the breakdown. But it didn't last long. The moment Rick came over to her, she fell to the ground in his arms and cried.

* * *

On their way back to the prison, Rick, Glenn and Maggie got out of the car. There had been a slight road block. Kylie didn't bother. Instead she stayed in the passenger seat and stared angrily out the window. She had finally surpassed the balling, almost catatonic state she had been in almost instantly. Now she was _mad_. Mad that the man she cared for more than anything had just left, not giving a shit about her or their home.

When they finally pulled in thorugh the prison gates and parked the silver car. Kylie grabbed her things and made her way into the cell block. There were new people there, but she didn't care. She didn't pay them any mind as she bypassed Axel and made her way to the place she had once slept with Daryl. Glaring at the mattress and blankets, Kylie dropped her crossbow onto the bed and turned away.

Deciding she needed some space, Kylie checked her gun just to make sure that there was enough bullets. Though she had a full clip, Kylie grabbed and extra one and made her way deeper into the prison.

The walls were coated in blood. Walker and human alike. It was a look that Kylie thought would never go away.

Silently, Kylie wandered through the prison halls, looking for a kill. Half an hour late, she finally got her wish and was confronted by three walkers.

"Come and get it you gross sons of bitches" she said loud enough to get the attention of the walkers. When they noticed her, Kylie stayed still and let them come to her. The first one, she kicked backwards. The second was the first to die when Kylie pushed it back into the wall and drove her large hunting knife up through the creatures jaw. As the blood dripped down her arm, Kylie ripped her knife out of the walkers flesh before turning and taking down the other two walkers.

When the last one fell, Kylie was coated in blood and tears were rolling down her face. With a whimper, Kylie fell to the ground next to the dead walkers and buried her face in her hands.

Kylie couldn't help the sob that came out of her throat as she tilted her head back against the wall. Shuddering out a breath, Kylie lifted her hand to wipe the wet from her cheeks. Only to pull back her fingers with the realization that they were covered with walker blood.

"Fucking wonderful" she sighed.

After taking a second to regain her composure, Kylie swiped the blade of her knife on her jeans a few times before putting it back into its sheath. Trying her best not to get anymore blood on her face, Kylie wiped her eyes once more and stood from the ground, giving the nearest dead walker a kick before making her way back to the cell block to get cleaned up.

* * *

After changing into a fresh, semi-clean pair of jeans and a dingy t-shirt, Kylie left behind not only her crossbow but the bloodied cutoff she had once stolen from Daryl. Taking only her gun and knives with her, Kylie went to walk the dog run.

By the time night fell on the prison, Kylie was still outside. She had taken breaks here and there, only stopping to get a drink of water, or to kill a walker. And still Kylie walked the dog run. Even when Rick came out to tell her to head in, that he would take first watch.

The demolished huntress refused, and stayed at her post. Knowing that there would be no convincing his niece to go back inside, Rick sighed and went up to one of the guard towers, leaving Kylie to walk the yard by herself.

For the rest of the night, Kylie did little more that pace. At some point she had sat down and checked over her weapons, even though she knew that everything was in working order.

"Damn it" Kylie grumbled after having had moving to grab her cross bow. Which she had purposefully left inside the cell block. On the mattress she had shared with Daryl.

Thinking of the weapon, Kylie started thinking about other things. The words he had said to her on that road were front in center, and Kylie had to once again fight back the tears.

"' _I'm sick of you_ '" he had said.

"And I loved you."

* * *

 **AN: Please don't hate me! Having this happen between Daryl and Kylie was not in my original plan. Originally, Kylie was going to go with Merle and Daryl. But after that hiatus I took, I thought about it. The relationship with between Daryl and Kylie was too...prefect. Too neat. They needed something to shake their otherwise strong connection.**

 **There is just so much I want to do with this ship that needs to start here. So, yea, please dont hate me lol.**

 **Otherwise, what did you all think of this chapter? Let me know!**

 **I gotta say, this was a very difficult one to write. I must have re-done that scene on the street about seven times in the past week. I needed to get it just right. Particularly the emotions.**

 **Aaaanyways, yea let me know your feels.**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter Fifty-nine

 **-Daryl-**

The second he left with Merle he regretted it. When Daryl saw the glassy look in Kylie's eyes he wanted to take back everything he said and stay. But then there was Merle. He'd already left Merle behind once, and he wasn't eager to do the same again.

Kylie had said, all those months ago at the farm, that she'd leave with him in a heartbeat. But the second they get the opportunity, Daryl shut her down. What the fuck was wrong with him?

Through that night, the first night he's spent without Kylie in a long time, Daryl didn't sleep. He had said he was going to wake his brother after a few hours. But instead he stared into the flames, missing the warm body that was supposed to be next to him.

"Man, there ain't nothing out here but mosquitoes and ants" Daryl grumbled. Even the hunting was bad. It didn't help that his older brother was as loud as could be, scaring away whatever game might be in the area.

"Patience little brother" Merle said, as he un-zipped his pants to take a leak. Daryl couldn't help but compare him to a dog marking his territory. "Sooner or later, a squirrel is bound to scurry across your path."

"Even so, that ain't much food" Daryl just about sighed. There was food back home.

"More than nothing" his brother shrugged.

"I'd have better luck going through one of them houses we passed back on the turnoff." It wasn't a statement, Daryl was falling back into the old habit of leaving the decision making up to his brother.

"Is that what your new friends taught you, hmm?" Merle asked as he finished up and walked back towards his brother. "How to loot for _booty_?"

"We've been at it for hours" Daryl told him. Ignoring whatever remark Merle was going to make. He knew it was bound to be about the woman he left behind. "Why don't we find a stream, try and hook some fish?"

"I think you're just trying to lead me back to the road, man" Merle told his brother. "Get me back to that prison."

"They got shelter" Daryl shrugged. "Food. A pot to piss in. Might not be a bad idea."

"For you, maybe. You got yourself a girl there. Ain't gunna be no damn party for me."

"Everyone will get used to each other"Daryl told him, ignoring the comment his brother made about Kylie. He knew that if he did end up going back, she wouldn't want anything to do with him. Not after what he had said.

"They're all dead" Merle stated after a minute. "Makes no difference."

"How can you be so sure?" Kylie wasn't dead. No way in hell. Daryl wouldn't ever believe it.

"Right about now. He's probably hosting a house warming party where he's gunna bury the rest of your pals. Your little girlfriend." At that, Merle spit before walking past his brother. "Let's hook some fish."

* * *

 **-Kylie-**

"You said you found Tyreese's group here?" Glenn asked, and Kylie silently watched as he pointed to a spot on the map he had drawn with chalk. Carl just nodded at the mans question. "We secured this."

"He thought they came through here" Carl told him, pointing to a spot not to far away from where Glenn was pointing.

"Great, so theres another fucking breack. Wonderful" Kylie under her breath as she walked out of the room. Someone needed to be on watch.

"Hey, are you ok?" Maggie asked as Kylie bypassed her.

"Gotta be" Kylie shrugged before continuing on her journey outside.

She still hadn't slept. It was obvious to the others that she was overtired, but Kylie was just trying to keep herself busy. Trying to keep her mind off of the events of yesterday.

Glenn had tried to call after her, get her to come back into the room. But Kylie ignored him. She knew it wasn't safe to head outside by herself, Kylie didn't care. It wasn't safe anywhere, regardless of one-eyed psycho's.

But whether it was unsafe or not, Kylie couldn't deal with being inside. Between the memories of her and Daryl sharing their little alcove, and the drama that was currently happening...she couldn't handle it.

As Kylie walked the yard, she started moving bodies. They hadn't finished the task the other day, so she figured if she was going to be out here, might as well be productive.

Walking backwards, dragging a body, Kylie saw movement just beyond the fence. Dropping the dead walkers feet, Kylie lifted her hand and squinted. Sheilding her eyes from the sun, she saw her uncle. Shaking her head, Kylie looked over to the cat walk, where Carol was fortifying the fences with Axel.

When she had first met Axel when she was a teenager, he was the first one to open up to her. He had quickly taken her under his wing and showed her the ins and outs of stripping cars. It wasn't her father who taught her how to drive, not her uncle. It was Axel.

And now here he was. Being taught how to handle a gun by a woman who was once so scared of them.

 **-Daryl-**

"Smells to me like Sawhatchee Creek" Merle told him as they made it closer to the nearest river.

"We didn't go west enough" was Daryl's response. "There's a river down there, it's gotta be the Yellow Jacket."

"You have a stroke, boy?" Merle asked. "We ain't never even come close to Yellow Jacket."

"We didn't go west" Daryl said once more. "Just a little north, that's what I think."

"You know what I think?" Merle asked with a scoff, raising his metal stub slightly. "I may have lost my hand, but you lost your sense of direction."

"Yea, we'll see" Daryl snorted. He knew he was right. Didn't matter what his brother thought.

"What do you wanna bet?" asked the elder Dixon a minute later.

"I don't want to bet nothing" Daryl said, "It's just a body of water. Why's everything gotta be a competition with you?"

"Whoa, whoa. Take it easy little brother" Merle just about smirked. "Just tryna have a little fun need to get your panties all in a bunch."

And then Daryl heard it. He would recognize that sound anywhere. A baby.

"You hear that?" he asked, hoping that he wasn't losing his mind.

"Yea, that's the sound of wild animals getting _wild_ " Merle responded.

"No, that's a baby" he was sure of it.

"Oh come on. Why don't you piss in my ear and tell me its raining, too" Merle scoffed. "That there's the sound of a couple of coons making love sweet love" he complimented the statement with a roll of his hips.

Daryl ignored his brother and walked forward. He knew what he heard. There was a baby crying, it needed help. That's all that mattered.

They weren't too far away from the river. And the second the Dixon brothers made it to the river bank, they saw a family up on the bridge. Getting attacked by walkers. While his brother was being as obnoxious as possible, Daryl looked around for a way up onto the bridge. He felt the urge to help these people.

"Hey man, I ain't wasting my bullets on a couple of strangers who ain't never cooked me a meal or felaciated my piece. That's my policy, you'd be wise to adopt it brother."

But Daryl ignored his brother. Instead he continued up the small incline, letting out a low, inward chuckle when he passed by a sign.

Yellow Jacket Creek.

As soon as he was up on the bridge, Daryl acted. Dropping his pack on the ground, he loaded his crossbow and took aim. Dropping walker after walker, he urged the two men ontop of the flat bed to help him out. After a minute, he started letting out his aggravation on the walkers.

There was one, in the back of the sedan, trying to get at the crying woman and her tiny baby. All Daryl cold think about was Kylie and Lil Asskicker as he pulled the walker off of the groups supplies. Instead of stabbing the thing, he brought the door down on it. Turning the skull into walker soup.

Daryl fought, taking down walker after walker, while his brother sat back and watched with amusement.

As the baby started to calm down, Merle took that as his chance to loot the small families supplies. Daryl watched as the spanish speaking man, tried to stop his brother. And Merle pulled a gun, demanding payment for something he didn't do.

Suddenly Kylie came into Daryl's mind. She wouldn't stand for what Merle was doing. In fact Daryl knew for sure that his girlfriend would kick Merle as hard as she could in the nuts and curse him out fifteen different ways.

Before he could think, Daryl lifted his crossbow and aimed it at his brother.

"Get out of the car" Daryl growled, causing Merle to pause.

"I know you're not talking to me, brother."

"Get in you're car and get out of here" Daryl told the two men. "Go! Get in your car!" They didn't need to be told again. As the car doors opened and the two men got in, Merle slipped out, meeting his younger brothers eye with a stern look.

A second later, Daryl walked away. Grabbing his bag, the hunter made his way back into the trees. Merle, of course, was hot on his trail.

"What the shit you doing pointing that thing at me?" the elder brother snapped.

"They were scared man."

"They were rude is what they were" Merle retaliated. "Rude and they owed us a token of gratitude."

"They didn't owe us nothing" Daryl responded.

"You helping people out of the goodness of your heart? Even though you might die doing it? Is that something that girlfriend of yours got you doing? Something that Sheriff Rick taught ya?" Merle asked angrily.

"There was a baby!" Daryl shouted.

"Oh, otherwise you would of just left 'em for the biters then?" Merle asked.

Daryl scoffed in response. No he wouldn't have. If the baby hadn't been crying he probably wouldn't have even known until it was too late. But still, if he had known, he would have tried.

"Man, we went back for you" Daryl said after a moment, saying what was really on both of their minds. "You weren't there. I didn't cut off your hand, neither, _you_ did that. Way before they locked you on that roof. You asked for it."

"You know..." Merle chuckled. "You know whats funny to me? You and Sheriff Rick are like _this_ now" he said, crossing his fingers. "You got yourself the girl. Bet you never we was planning on robbing that place. She never woulda looked at you if you did."

"It didn't happen" Daryl said lowly.

"Yea, it didn't" Merle nodded. "Cuz I wasn't there to help you."

"What, like when we were kids?" Daryl asked. He had finally had enough of his brother. "Who left who then?"

"What?" Merle questioned. "Huh? Is that why I lost my hand?!" he shouted.

"You lost your hand cuz you're a simple minded piece of shit!"

After so many years of following in his older brothers shadow, Daryl was finally standing up for himself and standing up to Merle. It was really all thanks to her. Kylie. She made him stronger, better. That much was obvious, even when Merle was coked out of his mind he could see that. Turning away from Merle, Daryl could feel his brothers meaty hand grab onto his shirt. Instantly Daryl fought, and the weak material gave way, revealing his marred back.

"I-I didn't know he was..." Merle stammered in shock at the sight.

"Yea, he did" Daryl told him, trying to cover his back. He never showed anyone his back, he was ashamed. The only person who had truly seen his scars, was Kylie. "He did the same to you. Thats why you left first."

"I had to man"Merle told him after a few minutes of shocked silence. "I woulda killed him otherwise." Daryl just ignored his brother as he put his bag over his shoulder and grabbed his crossbow. With his gear in place, Daryl started walking again. "Where are you going?"

"Back where I belong."

 **-Kylie-**

Carl had been told to wear one of their bulletproof vests. Just to be on the safe side. Hershel and Carol had tried to get Kylie to wear one too, since she was insistent on being outside of the cell block, but she refused. If the Governor came , wearing a vest would just mean he could take head shot.

Not that she voiced that sentiment to the others.

As she walked the fence, Kylie let a cigarette dangle from her lips while she began stabbing walkers in the head. Most of the bodies in the yard had already been set into piles for burning. So Kylie kept herself busy by killing walkers.

Dropping walker after walker, Kylie looked around at the corpse-filled prison yard. A silver truck making its way down the path to the main gates. Glenn. He hasn't been right since being captured by the Governor. Hell, none of them were.

Sighing, Kylie took a drag off of her cigarette and went back to her task. Peeking through her lashes at her uncle just beyond the fence. Almost jumping when Hershel appeared next to her. For a man with just one leg, he could really move.

"Will you be alright here?" Kylie asked him. The old man simply nodded at her with a kind smile, Kylie returned it with a nod and walked away. Leaving Hershel to call out to Rick. She could tell that this was a conversation that needed to happen.

Deciding to give her self a break, Kylie sat int he field, puffing on her cigarette. As she lit another, she saw Rick turn away from Hershel and walk back towards the trees.

And then, suddenly, gunshots.

Kylie's breath caught in her throat and her heart pounded heavily in her chest. Someone was attacking them, and she had a pretty strong feeling as to who. Looking towards their cell block, she could see that there were only two other people not behind those fences. Rick and Hershel. Kylie did the only thing she could do, ran over to the one legged old man.

"You good?" she asked him as they both hid behind one of her piles of walker bodies.

"I am" Hershel nodded.

"Alright" Kylie said, rising a little bit in order to see what was going on. Get a visual of their attackers, only to be shot at. "Mother fucker" she cursed, taking her pink gun out of its holster and cocking it. "You don't have a gun on you, do you?" When Hershel shook his head, Kylie cursed. Rising up slightly once more, she rested her arm over the pile of bodies and fired.

There weren't that many people, seven or eight, not including the Governor. Kylie wanted to take him out. Her trigger finger itched with the anticipation. But he was out of range. Any shot she took at him would be wasted ammo. So Kylie took out the two men closest to her, before sinking back down to the ground next to Hershel.

When she heard the sound of an engine roaring and a metallic crash, followed very familiar groans. Kylie peeked over the walkers once more, and her breathing stopped.

"What do you see?" Hershel asked.

"Walkers" she whispered. "The crazy fuck sent in a truck full of walkers."

"Hershel! Kylie! Get the hell out of there!" Rick yelled at them from his spot near the creek. As they back away, Kylie shot the walkers nearest them before hoisting Hershel to his...foot.

"Shit" Kylie almost whimpered as her gun clicked, telling her she was out of ammo. And she couldn't reload while not only fighting off walkers, but holding up Hershel as well. "Fuck fuck fuck" she cursed, her blue eyes wide with fear as the walkers closed in on them.

And then, Michonne was running towards them with her sword drawn. And the silver truck was zooming towards them with Glenn behind the wheel.

"You guys ok?" Glenn asked as he and Michonne helped Hershel into the truck. Kylie nodded while she kept her eyes on the walkers around them, her fingers expertly releasing the clip and slamming in a new one.

Once the others were safely in the cab, Kylie climbed into the bed of the truck and sat down. Finally letting out a shuttering breath, Kylie looked around her as Glenn drove them back up to the cell block. And then her breath caught once more, and she felt like she was going to break down all over again.

Running across the field with Rick and his brother. Was Daryl Dixon.

* * *

 **AN: Alright so as you can see, I did something different this chapter. I know a while back, when ITE was in season 2 you guys wanted to see what was going on with Daryl when Kylie was missing. Since I didn't do it then, I figured now would be a good time to do it. Honestly this chapter was both really easy and really difficult to write.**

 **I also wanted to let you guys know that Kylie won't be forgiving Daryl all that quickly. I've read alot of TWD stories where the OC forgives Daryl almost instantly. This wont be one of those. Or at least I hope it wont be, lol.**

 **So what did you guys think of this chapter? If you liked the back and forth between Kylie and Daryl, then I might just do it again sometime in the future :)**

 **Ok, so yea be sure to me know what you think!**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	60. Chapter 60

chapter sixty

Everyone was still reeling from the attack. But while the rest of the group was safe inside the cell block, Kylie was sitting just outside the doors. Not only keeping watch, but mourning the death of her friend. Axel had been killed in the attack, shot right in the head. And then used as a sheild by Carol. Not that Kylie blamed the woman, she probably would have done the same.

Axel had been a big part of Kylie's teen life. Sure he wasn't the best of influences, but he looked out for her when she needed him to. Which was more to say than her father. Even after she had left 'the life' and went to live with her uncle, Kylie still kept in contact with the older man. All the way through the first half of his most recent prison sentence.

Then her uncle was shot and the dead rose.

For what seemed like the millionth time in the past twenty four hours, Kylie wiped the tears form her cheeks. Looking out over the walker filled prison yard, she couldn't help but feel like this place was a curse. Though the baby was healthy, they had lost Lori. T-Dog, too. Glenn and Maggie had been captured, Maggie was almost raped. Oscar was killed, and Kylie lost Daryl.

Even though the hunter had come back, that didn't change the fact that he had left her in the first place. It woulnd't take his return for Kylie to forgive him. Things weren't that simple.

"We're not leaving" Kylie heard her uncle state sternly as she finally wandered back into the cell block.

"We can't stay here" Hershel told him plainly.

"What if there's another sniper?" Maggie asked. "A wood pallet won't stop one of those rounds."

"We can't even go outside" Beth added.

"Not in the daylight, at least" Kylie's hoarse voice added as she leaned against the stair railing near where Hershel sat. As she spoke, she could feel Daryl's eyes on her from the upper level. Something that, for once, made her uneasy.

"Rick says we're not running, so we're not running" Glenn told everyone.

"No, better to live like rats" Merle said from the cell that had him locked in.

"You got a better idea?" Rick asked him, just barely holding back a scoff.

"Yea" Merle shrugged. "We shuolda slid outta here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window didn't we?" He asked. "I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now."

"We ain't scared of that prick" Daryl's low, gravelly voice spoke out. Kylie ignored the chills that went down her spine.

"Ya'll should be" informed the older Dixon. "That truck through the fence thing, that's just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot, he could starve us out if he wanted to."

"Let's put him in another cell block" Maggie glared.

"No, he has a point" Kylie said. Though she didn't want to admit it, Kylie knew he was right.

"This is all you! You started this!" Maggie shouted, turning back to face Merle.

"What's the difference whose fault it is?" Beth spoke up. "What do we do?" she 's lip twitched slightly at the boldness in Beth's voice. The girl had grown stronger since the farm.

"I said we should leave, now Axel's dead" Hershel said, his words causing Kylie's eyes to burn. Axel's blood was still on her hands. "We can't just sit here," he stated, looking directly at Rick. Rick merely glanced at the old man over his shoulder as he walked away. However Rick didn't make it far before Heshel stood, "Get back here!" the farmer shouted.

That caused Rick to stop, giving Hershel just enough time to hobble over with his crutches.

"You're slipping, Rick" Hershel said. "We've all seen it. We understand why. But now is not the time." The old man paused for a moment before continuing with a more forceful voice. "You once said that this isn't a democracy. Now you have to own up to that. I put my families life in your hands... So get your head clear and do something."

All Rick did was nod his head at Heshel and continue on his route. He was next on watch, and Kylie knew that like her, Rick would use that time to do as Hershel asked. Clear his head. At least clear it enough to get them through this storm.

* * *

Kylie did all she could to avoid the Dixon's. Though Merle was pretty easy to avoid, being that he was locked up. Daryl was another story. He had tried to approach her more than once, only to receive a cold glare from Kylie.

Since Daryl was in the common area looking over their weaponry with the others, Kylie decided to stay up in one of the cells. She figured that this would be the best way to avoid him. Forgiveness was very far away, but Kylie knew that she would eventually have to be in the same room as the man who broke her heart.

For now, however, she lay on the cot, sharpening her knives.

"Hey" she heard a voice from the entrance of her cell. Glancing up, Kylie saw Maggie leaning against the bars. "You wanna join me on watch?" Maggie asked, tightening the bandanna around her wrist. Without speaking, Kylie nodded and stood from her bed.

"You two taking watch?" Rick asked as he walked by the cell. When he saw his niece nod her head once, he tossed her the keys. "Eyes open, head down. Fields filled with walkers" he added as they walked passed the cells, stopping by the stairs that led to the upper level. Just as they did, Daryl came down the stairs. "I didn't see any snipers out there, but we'll keep Maggie or Kylie on watch."

"I'll get up in the guard tower" Daryl spoke, his eyes drifting over to Kylie. Under his gaze, her heart beat rpidly in her chest and she was almost brought back to the other day. The words he had said to her echoing loudly in her head. "Take out half them walkers, give these guys a chance to fix the fence."

"Or use some of the cars to put the bus in place" Michonne suggested.

Kylie didn't hear the rest of the conversation as her and Maggie finally made it out of the cell block and into the fresh air. Letting out a shuddering breath, she looked up and blinked back the tears that were once again threatening to spill.

She was thankful that Maggie didn't ask if she was ok. Kylie would have broken down once more at the question. Because she was not ok, not really. Avoiding Daryl, she could pretend, be angry. But seeing him? Hearing his voice, all she wanted to do was break down. Forgive him. After all he did come back.

"Maggie?" she finally spoke. When Maggie looked towards her, Kylie let out a shaky breath. "Can I get your opinion on something?" she asked.

"Of course"

"Do you think I'm making the right move? Not forgiving Daryl?" she asked quietly.

"Yes and No" Maggie told her honestly. "Even after all those things he said to you, I know you two still love eachother." Her friends words caused Kylie to bite her lip. Sure she still loved him, but the hurt Daryl had caused her made it seem like he didn't care at all. "Make him suffer a bit more" Maggie smirked.

That finally got a slight laugh out of Kylie.

* * *

Carl had joined them a little while later and the three watched the yard in silence.

Kylie was taking a short break, sitting on the ground with her back against the wall while her cousin surveyed the area. When Carl signaled them, Kylie and Maggie went over to him.

"What's up?" Kylie asked lowly, trying not to alert the walkers that were near by.

"There's something weird out there" Carl told her, as he did, Maggie grabbed her rifle and peered through the scope.

"Maggie?" Kylie asked, finally standing from her spot.

"It's Andrea" Maggie told them. "Go get your dad and the others" she told Carl, who did as he was asked. The second he left, Kylie grabbed the binoculars and looked over the fields. Sure enough, Andrea was struggling to hold on to a catch pole. A catch pole with a deformed walker attached to it.

Kylie watched as she directed the walker through their broken gates. Using the corpse as a guard dog, only killing the ones that wandered too close.

A minute later, Rick, Daryl, Merle, Michonne and Beth came out. Guns drawn and in formation. Kylie was surprised to see Merle out of his cage. As the others moved out into the yard, Carl came back to where Kylie was still keeping watch and grabbed the rifle.

"Are you alone?" Rick called out.

"Open the gate!" Andrea yelled. The walkers were closing in on her.

"Are you alone?!" Rick shouted once more. Kylie watched as Andrea cried out desprately. Nodding, Rick tossed the gate keys to Daryl. The hunter caught them easily and opened the gate for the frantic blonde.

Biting her nail, Kylie looked to Carl.

"Come on lets head down there" she told him, tapping the lid of his hat as she walked by. Nodding, Carl shouldered the rifle and followed behind his cousin.

By the time Kylie and Carl joined the others, Rick had Andrea on the ground and was frisking her quickly.

"I asked if you were alone" he stated once he was sure there were no conceiled weapons on Andrea. As he moved away from her, Rick grabbed the bag from her shoulder. Kylie couldn't help the snort that came from her mouth as Andrea stumbled.

"I am" she gasped, righting herself on her knees. Hands still in the air. Kylie kept her arms folded over her chest, all but glaring at their old camp mate.

"Welcome back" Rick told Andrea, grabbing her by the bicep roughly and pulling her to her feet. "Get up."

Slowly everyone followed Rick as he led Andrea into the small sitting area of their cell block. Leaving Daryl and Kylie to bring up the rear. Daryl took the opportunity to try and make amends with Kylie. But the moment he opened his mouth, Kylie shook her head and walked away from him.

* * *

Kylie didn't like Andrea. But having her in their home felt almost right. Like their family was complete. After informing her about what the Governor had done to them, Andrea denied knowing anything. The woman was just too trusting, first with Shane and now with _Phillip_.

Andrea didn't even know that Glenn and Maggie had been held prisoner. Seems like the Governor wasn't a big fan of trust.

The blonde woman had missed an entire winter with the group. Missed alot of what had happened when the farm finally fell.

As they told Andrea of their losses, Kylie watched from outside of the small circle. Something Andrea took note of. Normally, Kylie would be right next to Daryl. Now it seemed like she couldn't get far enough away from him.

"You all live here?" Andrea asked, after she had tried and failed at giving her condolences.

"Here and the cell block" Glenn told her.

"There?" Andrea questioned, pointing towards were the living quarters were located. "Well, can I go in?" she asked, already walking towards the cell block. Assuming that she would be allowed.

"I won't allow that." Rick told her sternly.

"I'm not the enemy Rick" Andrea said incredulously. Rick opened his mouth to speak, but instead Kylie's low voice broke out through the room.

"We had that field, that courtyard till your little boy toy tore down that fence and sent in the walkers. Hershel and I almost died." Kylie growled.

"He said you fired first" Andrea's statement caused Kylie to let out a burst of cynical laughter.

"Of course he did" she scoffed. "Ever think that he was lying? Cuz he was."

"He killed an inmate here" Hershel spoke up. Kylie's ice blue eyes drifted down to her boots at the thought of Axel.

"We liked him" Daryl told the blonde lowly. "He was one of us."

" I didn't know anything about that" Andrea shook her head. Kylie didn't doubt that. It seemed like Andrea was out of the loop on a lot of things. "As soon as I found out, I came" she told them. "I didn't even know you were in Woodbury until after the shoot out."

Kylie scoffed, leaning against the near by wall. She was beyond tired, the last time she had slept was before they had gone to Woodbury to rescue Glenn and Maggie.

"That was _days_ ago" Glenn responded.

"I told you, I came as soon as I could" Andrea reiterated. "What have you told them?" she asked, rounding to face Michonne.

"Nothing" the other woman shrugged.

"I dont get it" Andrea scoffed. "I left Atlanta with you people and now I'm the odd man out?"

"If you weren't fucking the devil then we wouldn't have a problem" Kylie said before turning away from the group and walking back into the cell block.

* * *

Kylie was sitting on the steps to the upper level when Andrea came into the cell block. She had been allowed to roam around an hour or two ago.

"Hi, Kylie" the blonde said quietly. Kylie just nodded a hello. "I know it's not really my place to asked this but...are you okay?" Kylie's breath caught before she shuddered a small sigh.

"No" Kylie said quietly. Just as Carol walked towards them with the baby. Judith.

"You can't leave without meeting Little Ass Kicker" Carol smiled, using the name Daryl had given the small girl.

"May I hold her?" Andrea asked. A grin splitting her face as Carol handed over the bundle. "Let me guess" she started, as she gazed down at the baby. "Daryl named her Ass Kicker?"

"Her names Judith" Kylie said quietly after the two other women shared a small laugh.

"What happened to Lori?" Andrea finally asked after she spent a few minutes cooing over the baby.

"During a C-Section" Carol answered. "Maggie. And then... Carl." she added, causing Andrea to gasp and Kylie too look at her boots once more. "T-Dog died leading me to safety" Carol continued.

"And Shane?" Andrea asked.

"Rick killed him" the older woman stated. "The night we left the farm. That whole Randall thing was a lie. Shane tried to kill Rick."

"Shane loved Rick" Andrea responded, trying to wrap her head around the information.

"Shane loved _Lori_ " Kylie corrected. "Loved her for a long time. Took my uncle getting shot and the dead coming back for him to realize it." And with that she turned away from the two women and went into her cell.

Hoping for some sleep, Kylie curled up on the dingy mattress and and tried to calm her mind.

* * *

While everyone else saw Andrea off, Kylie napped. However it wasn't a restful sleep. Her dreams were plagued by night mare they lived in, accompanied by the words Daryl had spoken to her the other day on the road. Over and over again she saw him infront of her, telling her how he was sick of being with her. Following by his screams as he was eaten alive by walkers.

By the time she woke up, the sun had finally set. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Kylie got out of her bed and all but stumbled out of her cell. The second she stepped over the thresh hold, she was met by Daryl's warm blue gaze. Instantly Kylie side stepped him and walked over to sit on the stairs with Maggie.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Before Beth began to sing. Soon enough Kylie moved down a step so that Rick could walk by holding his daughter. As he passed, Kylie sent him a sad smile. When Glenn took Kylie's seat, the brunette sat infront of the couple, leaning her head against the cool steel of the railing.

Briefly, as Beth sang, Kylie's eyes drifted over to Daryl. But the second he met her gaze, she looked away. The urge to break down and cry was still there, but Kylie kept it together. She knew that she couldn't break down every time he looked at her.

Sighing she closed her eyes and listened to the young blondes soothing voice. Beth had a talent with her singing voice. Soothing even the most restless of minds with her songs.

Over Beth's voice, Kylie could hear Rick, Hershel and Daryl talking in hushed tones. Rick planned on going on a run for more weapons in the morning. She listened as Daryl offered to tag along, only to be shot down by Rick. Her uncle planned on bringing Michonne.

The run would be Michonne's test. And Carl's. Kylie was relieved when Rick stated he was going to take her as well. She needed a break from the prison.

* * *

 **AN: So I struggled, like, a lot with this chapter. At every turn I wanted Kylie to just jump Daryl and have her naughty way with him, But I have plans. I _need_ this controversy with them. There's still a long road to go before Darlie is back and better than ever. **

**Hopefully I will get the time to work on Chapter 61 tomorrow. Along with the next chapter of my other Walking Dead story that I have on here.**

 **Okay so what did you think? Seriously, review people!**

 **OH! Yea, so during that last scene, I was sort of seeing it like this in my head. While Beth is singing the line 'You share my bed you share my name" that's when Daryl and Kylie make eye contact.**

 **Gah I have so much planned for this story, I can't wait. Though the current season is going to be a doozy, what with everything thats been happening.**

 **Yea, soooo... REVIEW! lol**

 **As Always, Leave Love**

 **)0( Iris RainbowWolf )0(**


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter Sixty One**

Kylie woke with the sun early the next morning. After dressing in a loose black tank top and dirt stained jeans, Kylie tied her brown hair into a ponytail and left her lonely cell. Like usual, everyone was in the common area preparing for breakfast, and the trip back to King County. One table was loaded with a few packs filled with the necessities, meager food portions, water and first aid.

With a smile, Carol handed Kylie a small bowl of oatmeal. Nodding, Kylie thanked Carol and sat at one of the metal tables. Straddling the seat, Kylie pulled out her Sig and started cleaning it while she picked at the bowl of slop.

"You gonna talk to him?" a gravelly voice said from behind her. Kylie's hand tightened on her spoon before she looked over her shoulder. Sending a glare at the older Dixon.

"Not yet" was all she said before putting her gun back together.

"You're killing him, Blue Eyes" Merle told her.

"Since when do you care, Jackass?" Kylie couldn't help but ask.

"Hey now, this ain't about me" he diverted. "It's about you and my brother."

" _Your brother_ has made it perfectly clear that he wants nothing to do with me" Kylie glowering. Staying angry in order to fight the tears. Merle could only scoff at her.

"You're are a fucking idiot" the man rolled his eyes. "He was _lying_." Of course, Kylie had nothing to say to that. She had thought of forgiving him ever since he came home, but it was a difficult decision to make.

If Merle had wanted to say more to her, he didn't. Instead, he gave her a look and walked away.

Once she was alone, Kylie chanced a small look up at Daryl's perch. He was awake and his steely blue eyes were on her. Gulping down the rest of her food, Kylie handed her bowl back to Carol and walked over to where Beth was feeding little baby Judith.

Taking the baby from the young girl, Kylie smiled down at the chubby face. Quietly she cooed to the baby, rocking her back and forth. Suddenly it was as if the world went still. There was no sound in the common area.

"Ky" his voice finally broke through, causing her breath to catch in her chest.

Instinctively her grip tightened ever slightly on Judith's blanket. Though she had thought of approaching Daryl, Kylie still didn't know what to say. She loved him, and he shattered her into a million pieces.

"Kylie, just...just talk to me"

It took her a minute. Worrying her lip Kylie finally decided. Quickly she turned and placed Judith in Daryl's arms.

"When I get back" and she turned and walked outside to wait for her uncle.

* * *

Kylie stared blankly out the window as they drew closer to her hometown. The car was silent as Michonne drove down the deserted road. There was only one other person on the road, walking by himself with a large orange pack strapped to his back. Even though he had tried to wave them down, Kylie wasn't surprised when they drove right past him.

Not even five minutes later, Michonne slowly veered off the road. Taking the car into a slow crawl in order to avoid the totaled cars and crushed, yet still moving, walkers. And then, they were stuck. Michonne revved the engine, trying to get them out of the patch of mud they were trapped in.

Sitting up straight, Kylie pulled her knife. They were surrounded by walkers almost instantly. The undead seemingly coming out of nowhere. Even though her heart was pounding in her chest, Kylie and the others remained calm. Evaluating the walkers snarling at their windows.

"Cover your ears," Rick told his son and niece, pulling his trusty Python from its holster. Doing as they were told, Michonne, Kylie, and Carl covered their ears. Slowly, Rick rolled down the window just enough to put the barrel through and fire a shot.

It didn't take them long, and soon enough, the pack of walkers was gone and the foursome was rummaging through the totaled cars for supplies.

"Got what you need?" Rick asked his niece.

"Yea, that'll work," Kylie said, pulling a large flowery dress from a suitcase, along with a few sticks.

"Tell me when," Michonne said, getting back in the car.

"Hey kid, come learn something," Kylie said to her cousin, lifting the bundle in her hand. Nodding, Carl followed her to the front of the car. "Put something like this under the car, add some gravel," Kylie said, showing the small pebbles in her hand. "Gives it some traction, gets us out of here."

"Wouldn't have to do it if she didn't get us stuck" Carl muttered.

"Hey" Kylie narrowed her eyes, backhanding her cousin's leg lightly. "It's not Michonne's fault."

Going back to the car, Kylie and Carl crouched by the tire.

"Why'd you and dad let her come?" Carl asked. "She took you guys to Woodbury. You said she just split on you. And Oscar died and you guys..."

"Shit happened Carl" Kylie growled. "There was more to that trip than that. Plus, your dad only asked her to come today so that she wasn't at the prison without him there to look out for her. Not with Merle there."

"That and we got common interests" Rick spoke up from the rear end of the car, crouching down beside them a second later. "For right now, we have the same problems. So maybe we can work on them together."

"Just for right now?" Carl asked, and Kylie could hear the innocence in the boys' voice. Something neither her nor Rick had heard in such a long time.

"Yea" Rick nodded "Just for right now."

As Kylie finished putting the gravel, sticks, and cloth where they needed to be, they heard the sound of someone yelling. Turning, Kylie saw that it was the man they had passed running down the road. Begging them for help. But instead of helping, Rick signaled for Michonne to start the car, they were ready to go.

Kylie couldn't help but feel bad. The man would be dead soon.

* * *

Driving through her hometown, Kylie was hit with a sense of nostalgia. Remembering the days she would walk Carl to the small arcade after school, or quitting one of her many dead-end jobs. Days she was never going to get back.

She could feel the bile rise in her throat as the passed Gibbons Convenience Store. The place Kylie had killed her boss. Kylie couldn't help but wonder if his body was still there.

They parked the car near the King County Medical Office and walked the short distance to the abandoned Sherrif's station.

What was once a pristine office, was now demolished. Trash and tables and chairs were strewn all over the floor. The lockers were thrown open and had been emptied by scavengers. Kylie just hoped that the cage was still stocked.

But as they turned the corner, they were fairly disappointed to see that the gun racks were stripped bare.

"Damn it" Rick cursed, kicking the naked gun rack.

"You got any other police stations in town?" Michonne asked, examining a lone bullet she had plucked off of the cement floor.

"I _was_ the police here" Rick answered.

"It's a small town. There wasn't much need for more than one station." Kylie shrugged. "It was just Rick and a few other guys."

"There are other places to check," the eldest Grimes said after a moment, rubbing his hands over his face. "We may not have as many guns as were in here, but..."

"We need as many guns as were in here" Michonne stated. "Ammo too."

"Yea, we do" Rick agreed. "But right now, I only got a line on a couple. There are a few places on the main street... bars, a liquor store. Owners had a gun or two behind the counter that people didn't know about, I did, I signed the permit. They might still be there."

Michonne was silent.

"Do you have a problem with that approach?" Rick asked the woman.

"No, Rick, I don't have a problem" she shook her head, handing the stray bullet over to him.

"I can check Gibbons" Kylie offered. "And some of my old buddies had less-than-legal guns."

"I knew about those" Rick told her.

"Yea, but you don't know where Conner and the others hid them" his niece pointed out. "They went on a hunting trip up north before the outbreak. But the handguns are all at either Conners or Tylers."

"Alright, Lee, you go check that out" Rick nodded after a moment, not really wanting his niece out of his sight. Even though she was a grown woman who could take care of herself. "Meet back at the car in an hour."

Kylie simply nodded and turned away from her companions. Hoping that the alone time would give her time to think.

She needed to know exactly what she was going to do about Daryl. Whether that meant forgiving him...or letting him go forever.

* * *

Walking back through the front door of her best friends home wasn't something that Kylie thought she would ever do again. And as she scoured the entire house, Kylie let out a sigh of relief when she didn't see the remains of her friends. Though she knew that didn't necessarily mean that they were safe.

Kylie didn't allow herself much time to reminisce. She was there to do a job, and thinking about the days that she would never see again was doing nothing for her mission. Going into the hall closet, Kylie pulled out the small duffel bag she knew would still be there and made her way into Conners bedroom, where the guns were hidden beneath the floor in a safe.

Kicking back the rug with her steel covered toe, Kylie revealed the loose floorboard that hid the gun safe. Holding her breath, Kylie spun the dial, putting in the code to unlock it. As soon as it clicked, Kylie bit down on her lip. Her breath still frozen in her chest. Were the guns still in there? If they weren't, then what would she do?

Letting out a loud sigh off relief, Kylie saw the guns in the safe. But not all of them were there. Narrowing her eyes, Kylie glanced around the room. It was then that she realized that there was very little dust in the room. There was a slight shuffling coming from the doorway.

Pulling her boot knife, Kylie crouched in a defensive stance. But just as she was about to embed the blade into the skull of an undead killer, it clattered to the floor. Standing in front of her wasn't a walker, it was a very much alive Conner Jameson.

"Are you real?" asked the blond man's raspy voice. Kylie's eyes watered at the familiar, yet different sound.

"Yea," Kylie said quietly, standing to look the man in the eye. "Been awhile, huh?"

Without speaking, Conner gripped Kylie in a tight hug. As he did, she could feel a warm wetness dripping down onto her shoulder as her best friend cried. As they stood, holding each other, Kylie let all of the hurt she had been feeling out.

"Are you alone?" Kylie asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks with a sniff. Conner nodded and Kylie felt her heart sink.

"We were heading back this way a while back, but got separated in Virginia," he told her. "What about you?"

"I'm with Rick, Carl and a friend of ours" the brunette huntress answered. "We have a bigger group, though. The three of us are out scouting for supplies."

"That why you broke into my safe?" the dirt covered man joked.

"Yea" Kylie giggled a sound that had been foreign to her for so long.

"Take 'em" Conner shrugged. "Your people could use them. Besides those guns are as much yours as they are mine."

Silently, Kylie and Conner loaded the few guns and ammo into Kylie's bag.

"Something's bothering you" Conner observed.

"It's nothing" Kylie sighed, tightening her ponytail.

"Bull shit" Conner scoffed. "I've known you for how long now? I know when somethings up. Spill."

"Fine" Kylie relented.

So she told him everything that had happened. Everything with Daryl, with the rest of the group. Starting with that first night at the Quarry. It felt good to finally talk to someone about everything, someone who hadn't been there, of course.

"And it only took the zombie apocalypse for you to learn how to hunt" Conner scoffed playfully.

"That's seriously the only thing you took from all of that?" Kylie asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No, I get it. Kylie" Conner sighed. "I really don't think he meant it," he said referring to Daryl's parting words.

"You're probably right" Kylie nodded. "But the fact of the matter is, he _said_ them. And then he left, after everything we had been through. He just..." Kylie trailed off with a sad sigh, fighting tears she had thought were gone.

"If you don't take him back" Conner started. "Would you be able to go on, being around him all the time, without losing your cool?" he asked, even though he knew the answer. He had known Kylie Grimes long enough to know that when she loved, it ran deep and true. That wasn't something that could be turned off.

"That's what I thought," Conner said knowingly. "Don't let him go. You love him too much for that."

"I hate you sometimes you know that?" Kylie groaned.

"Love you too, Bestie" Conner smiled. "So now what?" he asked.

"Well," Kylie sighed. "I gotta go meet Rick and the others, then head home and wait for the shit storm coming our way."

"You'll make it through" the man reassured her. "Look at all you and your people have been through. You guys will definitely make it, this world doesn't stand a chance."

There was silence between the two old friends. Neither one of them wanting to say goodbye. After everything that has happened in the past year, it was hard to let go of something that was so familiar.

"Come with me" Kylie spoke, looking up at her friend.

"What?"

"Come back with me. We could use the help, and it sure as hell beats being alone" she told him.

"Are you sure?" Conner asked.

"Yea" she nodded. "Besides, I could use the back up for when I talk things out with Daryl."

After a moment, Conner nodded and sent a smile his friends' way. It didn't take them long to gather Conners things, his guns, and pack before they left the house and made their way back to the car.

* * *

The duo hadn't been sitting at the car for very long before Rick, Michonne, and Carl showed up. The trio had even scored a few keepsakes from their trip, a pack and play for Judith and a funky little cat statue. Kylie had a feeling that there was a story behind that last one. She'd have to ask when they got back to the prison. After her talk with Daryl.

"Well, I'll be damned" Rick whistled. "Conner Jameson. It's good to see you, son."

"You too, sir" Conner's dirt covered face smiled as he shook the former sheriff's hand.

"You get what you came for?" Rick asked his niece.

"Yea" Kylie nodded. "Look, Rick, I know it's asking a lot considering everything that's been going on but..." she trailed off, glancing at her friend.

There was silence among the small group. Kylie's heart pounded in her chest, hoping that her uncle wouldn't turn her old friend away.

"I understand, Lee" Rick finally nodded. "All hands on deck, right?"

For now, it seemed as if Rick Grimes was thinking clearly. Kylie only hoped it would last.

After making sure that they had everything they had come for, Kylie and the others piled into the car. It was tight in the back seat, but they made it work.

As they drove, after grabbing the bright orange pack of the now-dead survivor, Rick told Kylie about Morgan. Abou the man who had once saved his life, and who had, in turn, lost his mind. Rick had tried offering Morgan a home with them, but the man refused.

The closer they got to the prison, the harder Kylie's heart pounded in her chest. She had told Daryl she would talk to him when she got home. Promised Conner that she would do so. But the closer they got to their destination, the more Kylie's nerves began to rattle.

"You'll do fine" Conner reassured her in a low voice.

Before she knew it, the gates of the prison were being opened and they were driving into the yard.

Conner stayed in the car with her as she tried to calm herself. Kylie could feel Daryl's gaze on her as she finally opened the door and stepped out. Biting her lip she stood, and finally met his bright blue eyes. Only to see something in them she had never seen before. A type of gleam she didn't recognize.

So when he walked away from her for the second time, Kylie was left breathless. Looking to her friend, a silent question on her face.

"You seriously not going to go get your man?" Conner asked. "If Mikey was here, what would he tell you?" he asked. The mention of another friend of theirs caused Kylie to almost jump out of her skin. Mikey was always a hard ass.

"Go get yourself settled in. I'll talk to you later" she all but growled before folding her arms over her chest and following after Daryl.

"Go get 'em, tiger" Conner smirked as he watched her go.

* * *

"What the fuck is your problem, Daryl Dixon!?" Kylie all but shouted when she finally hunted the man down in the tombs. "Seriously, what the fuck. You all but _beg_ me to talk to you again. I tell you to wait till I get back from a run, then _nothing_! After EVERYTHING you did to me, _NOTHING!"_ her voice was starting to rise and it took every ounce of self-control she had not break down completely.

Daryls' silence shouldn't have surprised her. But it did.

"Fucking _speak_ Daryl!" she shouted.

"I ain't good at this shit, Ky" he finally growled in response. "I ain't good at giving a shit about someone other than me or Merle. Then you fucking come along. You make me show you how to hunt, you glue yourself to my side."

As she spoke, Kylie was brought back to the day he left her. The words he had said ripping through her once more.

"You fuck me and make me love you. Yea, I know I fucked up, but I _came back!"_ Daryl's voice was starting to rise. "I came back for no one and nothing else but _you_. Then you bring back one of you old fuck buddies."

Kylies' breath caught in her throat. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out.

"You wanted me to talk, now it's your turn, Ky." It took her a moment to find her words, and how to convey them.

"When you left..." her voice broke ever so slightly, Kylie had to take a shaky breath to calm her self. "When you left me for your junkie of a brother, I wanted to throw myself to the nearest walker." Her words floored Daryl. "You broke me that bad. You told me that I meant nothing to you, Daryl. That after the past year, everything we shared..." she was crying now, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. "And now you have the audacity to think that I could move on so quickly when I am so irrevocably in love with you?"

Daryl Dixon couldn't remember a time where he had actually seen Kylie Grimes cry.

* * *

 **AN: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DONT HATE ME!**


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter Sixty Two**

 **\- Kylie-**

That night, Kylie didn't come out of her cell. She didn't come out for dinner and Maggie took over her watch. While she was in King County, Daryl had brought her pink crossbow to her cell, along with the cut-off that she had once never taken off. Both of which we piled in the corner opposite her bed.

"I'm such an idiot" Kylie sniffled when Conner came and checked up on her. " I mean... I _wanted_ to push him against the wall and have my way with him. But he wouldn't say anything and I just... I fucking _snapped_."

"So he really said that he loved you?" Conner asked, causing Kylie to fit him with her best 'what the fuck' look. "Come on, now, Kyles" he sighed "Dude was obviously fucking jealous."

"Con, are you high?" she asked, finally sitting up on the bed.

"Are you?" he shot back. If she didn't know any better, she would think that Conners brother Mikey was sitting next to her. The look he gave her was as stern and no-nonsense as it could get. "You ignore him. Leave for a day and then come back with someone from your... _colorful_ past."

"You make it sound like I was a slut" Kylie pouted. "For the entire time I was in King County I was only ever with two people."

"Really?" That was news to him. "I thought you had a thing with whats-his-face, Peter something-or-other."

"Peter Mitchell? Ewwww" Kylie's nose scrunched up at the thought. "No, he was high as a kite and tried, but I wasn't having it. I can't believe you thought I fucked him. Dick." she said, playfully nudging his thigh with her boot.

"You feeling any better?" Conner asked.

"Not really, but I will. Eventually" Kylie shrugged.

"Gunna try talking to him again?"

"When we both cool down a bit, yea" she nodded. "I don't think I could handle confronting him again."

"Understandable" the man agreed. "I'll check in with you later, alright? Get some rest, Kyles."

"You're the best, Con-man."

* * *

 **-Daryl-**

Seeing Kylie in tears, Daryl needed to get out into the woods for a hunt. He knew it wasn't safe, what with the Governor out there, but he needed to clear his head. Pulling on his vest, and shouldering his crossbow, Daryl started to leave the cell block when he saw the new guy leaving Kylie's cell.

His huntess had holed herself up in the cell she had claimed, turning everyone away except for the stray she had brought home. Though Daryl hadn't tried to talk to her after their argument, it still hurt that the only person she would talk to was a guy from her past. From the days before she knew him.

There was never a time in their relationship where Daryl was insecure. But now that there was someone new, someone who was less flawed, who hadn't hurt her... He could see Kylie slipping away.

"Where you heading, brother?" Merle's raspy voice spoke out to him.

"Out" Daryl grunted.

"Are you fucking crazy!" the elder Dixon yelled, getting everyone's attention.

"Fuck off Merle, I'm not in the mood."

"What's going on over here?" Rick asked, walking over to the brothers. In his peripherals, Daryl could see Kylie poke her head out from her cell, only to disappear once more.

"Dumbass here is going out for a pack of smokes. _Alone_." Merle all but sneered at his brother.

"Daryl, if you're heading out there, I would feel better if you took someone with you" Rick sighed. He knew from experience that stopping Daryl Dixon from doing what he wanted was a loosing battle.

"Fine" Daryl huffed, hoping that Glenn or one of the others would volunteer. But eh wasn't that lucky.

"I'll go" the new guy, Conner, spoke up.

Daryl wanted to fight, say that he was better on his own but he knew that he wouldn't get far if he did. With a nod, Daryl turned went to leave the cell block, not bothering to wait for Conner to grab the hunting rifle.

They walked for almost an hour. Though Daryl hated his companion, he had to commend the other mans silence.

Every now and again, Daryl would find a squirrel or rabbit and take aim. Each time he did, Conner stopped moving, staying stock still until Daryl took down his prey.

There were more wakers in the area than he anticipated but that was just fine. Daryl needed a fight, a part of him even hoped that they would stumble across one of the Governors men.

"This is fucking rediculous" Conner sighed aggressivley after a few minutes. "You don't like me, I get that. But don't take that shit out on Kylie."

"What the fuck do you know about it?" Daryl growled.

"I know that you seem to think that me and Kyles were something back in the day" Conner stated. "We weren't" he clarified, pulling a thin chain out from his shirt. A wedding band dangling off the end. "I've been married since high school. My Sharilynn and Kylie have been friends for years."

Now Daryl felt like even more of a jackass. Racking his memory, Daryl tried to remember Kylie mentioning Conner's wife. He had heard so many of her past escapades in their short time together that he couldn't believe that he forgot the story of the other mans story. The one where Kylie was the maid of honor, and picked a fight with the Bride's older sister.

"Shit" he cursed. He felt like an idiot.

"You're gunna say it ain't my business, but you should talk to her, man. I ain't never seen Kylie like this" Conner sighed.

"Me neither" Daryl grumbled. Sure he hadn't known Kylie Grimes for years like this other man, but he knew her well enough to know that she was hurting. And that it was his fault.

The two men were silent for a while more. Their footfalls silent on the dried leaves and their heads on a swivel. Daryl hoped that this would be a quick and easy hunt, he had to get home to Kylie.

* * *

 **\- Kylie-**

By the time Kylie worked up the courage to leave her cell and talk to Daryl, both he and Conner were gone. That thought alone made her nervous. Kylie knew just how volitile Daryl Dixon could be, especially if he felt threatened. Against her better judgement, Kylie went to relieve Carol from her watch, the older woman stating that Conner and Daryl had left not too long ago.

Kylie was sure that the two men were fine, they were both capable fighters. The both of them, hunters. But in this instance, it wasn't the enemy Kylie was worried about.

Thankfully Kylie's well-trained ears didn't ear the sound of gunshots from the forest just beyond the prison fences. Just the noise of the hungry walkers trying to get in at them.

For hours Kylie sat just outside of their cell block, never wandering far from her vantage point. Just as the sun reached it's highest point, she saw movement just beyond the man gate. With a furrowed brow, and a pounding heart, she raised the binoculars to get a better look.

It was Andrea. Navigating threw the walker bodies once more. What the hell did she want?

Narrowing her eyes, Kylie rapped on the cell block door. A signal to the others to let her back in. A process she had suggested. And was the only one to use.

"Captain" she nodded when she saw that Merle had been the one to open the door.

"Blue eyes" Merle nodded back. He _refused_ to call his brothers girl Pixie Dust. Vehemently. Whereas she had automatically calling him _Captain Hook_ the moment she saw his missing hand.

"My uncle around?" she asked, pushing past him. Even though he was the reason Daryl had left, Kylie coldn't trully blame the elder Dixon. She had kicked and hit the man repeatedly, cursing him in ways that made the others blush. But once that was over, she hugged the one arm man and returned to her cell.

"Whats going on, Lee?" Thankfully Rick had been standing nearby as well and Kylie didn't have to scour the tobs to find her distraught uncle.

"Fucking Andrea's here."

* * *

 **-Daryl-**

On their way back to the prison, Daryl realized that he could actually get along with Conner. The other man had admitted that there _had_ been a small point where he had a mild...crush on Kylie. Before he had met his wife. And Daryl had found that he didn't mind that knowledge. That was a long time ago, and Kylie was _his_ now. Or at least he hoped she was.

For the entire hunt, Daryl and Conner had only run into a small pack or two of walkers, which were easily handled. But none of the Governors men could be seen. There had been a moment or two when Daryl had thought he had herd footsteps, human, but there was no way to be sure. So they ket walking.

Since there was no chance of the duo getting any big game, Daryl struck down almost every squirrel and rabbit he came across. Not surprised that Conner didn't even blink in disgust at their dinner.

Daryl could see himself being friends with the other hunter, a notion that would have aggrivated him in the past. Before he met Kylie. That woman really had changed him, for the better.

"You know, Kylie..." Conner started when the prison fences came back itno veiw. "She's a crazy bitch. Stong as fuck. Well, at least she tries to be." Daryl was quiet for a minute, rolling his next words around in his head.

"When ya'll got back," he said carefully " first, I saw red. She told me what she used to be like. Assumed, ya know?" he shrugged. "She ain't _never_ yelled at me like that."

"Scary huh?" Conner chuckled. "First time she really lost it on me was when I told her I was gunna call off my wedding. Thought that woman was gunna kill me."

"Ky or the wife?" Daryl couldn't help but ask.

"Kyles more than Shari, but they both threatened to castrate me unless I walked down that isle' Conner chuckled, wincing a bit at the memory.

Daryl chuckled lowly as well, he could almost picture his Kylie, her big blue eyes narrowed with her arms folded over some kind of disney shirt.

"Want some advice?" Conner asked Daryl, some uneasiness in his voice.

"Wouldn't fucking hurt" Daryl sighed, he had finally given up on trying to fix things with his woman on his own and was highly open to suggestions. Especially from a man who knew Kylie so well.

"Just go up in there, push her up against a wall and kiss her, man."

"That it?" Daryl scoffed. There was no way that could work. Right?

"Yea, man, thats it."

* * *

 **\- Kylie-**

The Governor had wanted a sit down with Rick. The deranged man had sent Andrea as a messenger, weilding a date, time and place. Fucking Andrea. The dilusional woman really did think that peace could be acheived between the two groups without any blood shed. Kylie wondered just how naive the blonde could be.

After Andrea left them once more, Kylie found herself back in her cell. Wanting to take a small nap before her self appointed mission to scope out the tombs.

But, that hope for a nap was short lived when she heard the cell block doors open and close, followed by Merle's booming voice. Daryl and Conner were back.

Nervousness pumped threw her veins as she listened to the muffled voices of the men downstairs. A part of her hoped that Daryl would come to her cell and that he would just hold onto her like he used to. But instead of waiting, Kylie shoved her boots back on her feet, grabbed her gun and knives before heading off to the tombs.

Conner tried to stop her before she left, but Kylie side stepped and scamered off. Her heart pounding as she went.

Glenn had been on guard at the entrance to the darkened levels of the prison when Kylie relieved him of his duties.

Slowly, Kylie paced the dark hall, her heart pounding in her ears. She could barely hear the sound of foot steps coming up behind her. So, naturally she turned to face her new companion. Just to say that she wanted to be left alone,

But it was Daryl.

He didn't say anything. Just stalked towards her with a purpose. Kylie's pulse raced as he drew nearer, her blue eyes wide whil his were filled with fire. She didn't know how it happened, but her knife was on the ground in a second as Daryl had her back pressed against the cold wall of the prison.

Kylie couldn't help the small squeak that came from her lips. Only for it to be silenced in an instant by Daryl's.

It took barely a second for the kiss to deepen. For Daryl's body to press tightly against Kylie's. A knee nudging her legs apart before Daryl gripped her thighs and lifted her in the air to wrap her legs around his waist.

"I fucking missed you so much, baby."


End file.
